


Ears

by Mimiga



Series: Melancholy of the Fox [1]
Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: F/M, PMD, PMD:GtI, PSMD, Post-Game, Post-Game Storyline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-18 09:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 69,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7309726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimiga/pseuds/Mimiga
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As far as the Snivy can remember with his stunted memory, she's pretty much always been there since day one. Now, as everything reaches some degree of normalcy and the world continues to turn, he begins to realize the depth of their bond might run farther than previously thought. The same bubbly feeling always stirs inside him whenever he sees that big enthusiastic smile. Or that little hop she does. Or the unmistakable twitch of her huge Fennekin ears whenever she's happy. But the compounding wave of revolution does not wait for even heroes of legend. (SPOILERS: PSMD, PMD:GtI)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Courage That Doesn't Save The World

**Author's Note:**

> \--UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR REMASTER (6/25/18)--
> 
> 1/6

Though the Snivy was nearly awake, the rest of his body still felt like it weighed a million pounds. He allowed the final vague fragments of a dream to dissolve for just a while longer before the prying sunlight beamed through his eyelids and warmed the side of his face. Turning over didn't seem to help, the sun just bounced off the other side of the room. After a few more wishful moments, Vallion finally gave up and opened his eyes to the unrelenting golden glow. A yawn escaped his throat as he obliged muscles yearning to be stretched. 

Vallion scanned the room while waiting for his eyes to fully adjust. A homely clutter took up most of the space, the kind that nobody really bothered cleaning up since everything was technically still in its place. The most grounded objects of the room were a simple low-laying desk and a closed wooden chest which had been shoved into a corner. They were even starting to bury the walls with pinned illustrations and maps. It was difficult to make out what location each chart represented at first glance, though there was definitely some noticeable improvement as his eyes traveled across them all. Each place still managed to pull out a seemingly distant memory from his cloudy thoughts. 

A soft murmur pulled his attention away from the wall and towards the other bed in the room. The Fennekin inside shifted about for a moment before deliberately tumbling onto the floor with a soft thud. With her back to the ground, she let loose a mighty yawn and stared up towards the Snivy with an tiny inverted smile. 

"Mornin', Val," Panne's voice was grainy enough that she almost sounded like a different person. While she cleared her throat, Vallion mirrored the way she rolled out of bed and tumbled down in a similar fashion. Their gazes met in an upside-down world. Another yawn erupted from within him and popped his jaw, but it was her fault this time. 

"The briefing's probably soon. Look at how far up the sun is on the wall," The Snivy grumbled, motioning towards the door with his nose. 

Panne gave another big stretch before finally rolling upright. "Whatever. We've got time." He half-expected the bell to ring right then and there, but a sleepy peace still seemed to fill the halls. 

"Hey, aren't we supposed to start our cartography assignment on the Sand Continent today?" Vallion said as he rose to his feet. 

She replied with a sigh before anything else. "Aw man, Sand Continent? I thought it was supposed to be Air." Panne skipped over to the wooden chest in the corner and propped open its lid. "I don't wanna go all the way there just to get sand in my fur for a week. I hope a field assignment pops up before then. I'm really in the mood to track down an outlaw or something." 

"Do you know how many other Fennekin would laugh at you for not liking sand in your fur?" Vallion teased her as she climbed head-first into the trunk and disappeared. "Besides, making a map of the world means you gotta get everywhere eventually. Might as well get the bad parts out of the way, right?" 

"I know, I know! That doesn't make it much any easier to go out and actually do those bad parts!" Panne's voice was nearly buried beneath the dull jingling sounds of her vigorous rummaging. A cloth bag and several miscellaneous items and orbs were tossed out onto the floor. It seemed more like she was throwing random junk than picking the right tools for the mission ahead. After all, they didn't even know which part of Sand Continent they were going to yet. She must be getting nervous. 

Before Vallion could start making sense of the growing mess, the angry chime of morning bell erupted through the compound and vibrated in the walls. After it ended, Buizel gave such an extraordinary groan of exasperation down the hall that it rivaled the bell itself. 

"I guess we didn't have much time after all," Panne said as she jumped over the side of the chest, narrowly avoiding the pile of equipment she had created. On the bright side, everything they were going to take with them was probably already in that mound. 

The two stuck close together as they left the warmth of their room. Bunnelby and Archen staggered out of their rooms soon after, and following up the rear was Buizel, who had some nasty bags under his eyes. They all filed into the main hall with pursed lips and heavy steps while Ampharos took his usual proud stance in the front. Mawile and Jirachi made their way down the stairs while Dedenne and Swirlix emerged from the opposite hall. One by one, they formed their rows until the whole Expedition Society was present. Ampharos held his pose for a few moments longer before realizing that everyone had been in their places for some time. 

"Oh! Uh," the electric type took on a more natural posture and proceeded as usual. "Good morning and welcome everyone to the daily assembly of October 4th! Let's get right into it! I'm sure we're all already aware of the time of year and how it's going to affect our exploration schedules. During the coming winter months the northernmost reaches of the Mist Continent will be completely frozen over and too treacherous to traverse, but this also allows us to more thoroughly chart out the southern lands where the ice would normally be too thin. However, since we're not quite at that point yet, our duty is still to record and chart those areas which will soon be out of reach until glaciers recede next spring, therefore those operations must be enacted immediately..." 

Vallion allowed his eyes to wander about the central chamber while individual orders were given out. He didn't get far into spacing off before he was caught on Panne, who continued to stare forward at Ampharos with a disciplined intensity, her giant ears pointed forward and fully attuned to what the chief was saying. The longer he stared, the more he started to notice a fluttering feeling deep inside his chest. Just when did she get so cute? She wasn't really acting any differently than how she usually did, so what changed in just a week that made her seem so damn adorable? 

"Panne, Vallion." The Snivy twisted his head around as soon as his name had been called. "I understand that your current assignment has you two mapping out some of the western portions of the Sand Continent. However, I was thinking that we should probably just take that on a little later in the year. The weather's still not quite cold enough to make that particular region as bearable as it could be." Panne let off a tiny cheer that seemed like it was meant to be silent. Vallion's heart did a flip as she realized her own outburst and shrunk back down. 

"Furthermore-" Ampharos continued, "-a mission's popped up nearby and I'd like you two to be the ones to tackle it. A report came in last night which spoke of a Larvesta who went missing somewhere in the Poliwrath River area. It seems like a pretty routine rescue, so you should know the drill by now. The physical letter's up in the office if you need more details. This will be your new directive until further notice." Ampharos took a deep breath as he prepared to move onto the next big topic. Meanwhile, Panne could barely contain herself and was nearly bouncing up and down in place. 

The morning assembly carried on as usual after that. A few more unsurprising announcements later, the closing creeds rang out through the building, and everyone dispersed to prepare for their days just a little more lively than when they arrived--with the exception of Buizel, who seemed to drift off into the hall like a ghost. Vallion nearly had to run just to keep up with Panne as she skipped back to their room. 

As soon as the Fennekin passed under the door frame back into the rich golden light, she erupted into a fit of giggles. "Hah, I guessed it! I can't believe it actually worked! I mean it's not exactly what I said I wanted but it's close enough!" Panne immediately got to reorganizing the pile of tools she had originally created, only this time with much more thought and finesse. 

"I mean, you do evolve into a psychic type. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to have some innate future-predicting ability somewhere in your brain," Vallion mused while using his vines to store away all of unnecessary supplies they were going to use to make maps. A chuckle fell out of his mouth. "Hey, maybe your ears are like antenna that pick up on weird future waves. You think that's how-" the Snivy fell silent as a bag slapped against his face and plunged him into darkness. 

"Don e'en staht!" Panne managed to say with a looplet between her teeth. 

It didn't take too long to fill up their bags, especially in preparation for a mission that was more delicate than it was dangerous. The last space in their packs was reserved for rations, which was something they had to actually go out and buy. After a particularly intense two-out-of-three game of Rock, Fighting, Flying (mostly made so by the distinct lack of rules), it was ultimately decided that Vallion would be stuck with the chore this time around. He begrudgingly snatched up a pouch of coins and started towards the exit. 

"See ya later, Val! Get something good this time!" Panne called out after him. The Snivy stuck his tongue out in response, but a big grin worked its way onto his face that betrayed his distaste for the task. It really didn't seem all that bad as long as she was the one he was shopping for. Alright, enough goofing around. Time to get down to business. 

Vallion walked out of the compound and straight into a wall of chilly autumn air. The last of the drowsiness in his eyes was immediately vaporized as a sharp shiver ran down his spine. The sigh that fell from his mouth blew into the wind like a puff of smoke. Maybe the Sand Continent would've been a little warmer, he thought. The Snivy pressed on into town, the bag of coins jingling into his ear as he held it up on his shoulder. He could nearly hear the sounds of the town waking up--shifting crates and creaking doors and distant voices, all the while the ocean softly crashed. 

The farther Vallion got into Lively Town, the more those noises were given form. Miltank rushed past to make her morning deliveries while Krookodile lagged several stops behind, seemingly unable to keep up. Doduo must have grown restless watching the sheer difference in speed and started doing laps around town themselves. Mienfoo staggered past in Doduo's tracks a few moments later, an anguished look on their face like they've made the terrible decision of challenging the flying type to a race. Even with the weather getting colder, nothing seemed to change around here. 

Most shops were still closed, and the ones that did open early were still in the process of doing just that. It'd still be another hour or so before he'd see any tourists or travelers out in these streets. Nevertheless, Kecleon had always opened his stand earlier than anyone else dared to, typically before the sun even came up. Vallion expected a familiar greeting as he approached the shop, but only heard a soft snoring come from behind the counter. One of the many difficulties of trying to appeal to the shopping habits of adventurers, no doubt. He unraveled a vine and tapped on the hard wood of the counter. 

"H-huh?! Oh!" Kecleon snorted as his head shot up. He wiped away the drool from his mouth and waved to greet his first customer of the day in one swift motion. "Ah! Good morning, Vallion! What can I do for you at this early hour?" 

"Morning, Kecleon. Panne and I just got assigned a rescue mission and I was wondering what kind of rations you have today. Or just like, food in general. We're not going far," Vallion delivered accordingly. 

"Hmm. You get food duty again?" Kecleon asked. Vallion nodded in response. "She played Arceus during your game of Rock, Fighting, Flying did she?" The Snivy nodded once more, this time with more vigor. Kecleon gave a hearty chuckle and stepped back to search through his wares. "No offense, but it's real cute how you actually humor her every time she does that. Now, what kind of meals are you looking for today?" 

"We're not going too far--it's maybe just like one night of camp on the east side of the mountains and that's it. Any fruit we get would definitely survive the trip, and Panne said to get something good so... what kind of berries do you have? Sitrus?" Vallion stood as tall as he could and lifted the bag of coins up onto the counter. 

Kecleon smiled, but his brow had furrowed a bit. The shopkeeper seemed to take an unnecessarily long time to search through his goods, thoroughly checking far more places than berries should be. With a dismissive huff, he finally stood back up to face Vallion, his hands empty and his frown full. 

"I must apologize, but it seems we're stark out of, well, basically food altogether. Our next shipment was supposed to be one from a farm just past the mountains, but that was supposed to be in two days ago. I wonder what's keeping it..." Kecleon pushed the money back to Vallion's side of the counter. 

"Huh?" Vallion hesitated to retrieve the coins. "That's never happened before, has it? I've never heard of one of your shipments being that late." 

Kecleon nodded sadly. "They rarely ever are, which makes me especially nervous. You're going to that general area on your mission, correct?" 

"Yeah, Poliwrath River," the Snivy replied. 

"Promise to be careful out there, will you? If even my most reliable supplies aren't coming in, something could be going horribly wrong on that side of the mountains. I won't be having my favorite customers getting into trouble! Anyway, you're going to have to find someone else to provide for your trip." 

Vallion finally wrapped a vine around his coins, a nervous feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. "Alright, I'll keep it in mind. We'll try to find out what happened with your shipment while we're over there. Thanks anyways." 

The Snivy exchanged goodbyes and walked off. but there wasn't really a destination he had in mind. He just wandered off down the street with the coins on his shoulder while he contemplated all his options. Kangaskhan Cafe provided food, sure, but it wasn't somewhere he could just buy raw ingredients. Especially if Kecleon was out of stock--no doubt Kangeskhan was hording all she could for the coming business that would bring. The Society's larder was always overstocked to a degree, so it's possible he'd be able to borrow something from there, but that meant dealing with Swirlix. Worse yet, someone was going to have to explain to her that there wasn't going to be anything fresh in the market today. It was possible that they could just search for naturally-growing food while they were camping, but he already knew not to rely on dicey tactics like that. Nobody should leave for an expedition empty-handed and expect a pile of apples to be waiting them at their destination. Granted, there was no way they wouldn't find at least something decent growing in the woods around here, but it was just the principle of it. 

Vallion turned his head towards the vastness of the ocean and sniffed at the briny air. Down at the docks, the silhouettes of burly workers rotated huge crates with ease and loaded them onto a single lonely ship. He was going to make Panne happy, no matter what. That meant there was no choice other than going through Swirlix. Resigned to his fate, the Snivy started towards the compound once more. 

A huge wave of warmth washed over Vallion as he stepped back into the building, causing his scales to sting and his eyes to water. He took a deep breath of the stuffy air, continued through the eastern wing in silence, and stuck his head through the doors of the mess hall. It seemed completely empty at first, but the munching sound that faintly echoed through the room gave Swirlix away. The fairy sat beside the open larder, surrounded by a clipboard and an open jar of salted nuts. It must have been inventory day again, meaning there was going to be a lot less inventory by the time Swirlix was done counting. 

"Um.. Swirlix?" Vallion spoke up. 

Several moments passed before the fairy finally noticed she was no longer alone."Hm?" Swirlix swallowed what was in her mouth and turned her head. "Oh, hey Vallion! What're you doing in here this early? Hopefully you're not in for a snack." 

"Ah, yeah...About that-" the Snivy took a deep breath. "-I went out to get some rations for that rescue mission, but as it turns out, Kecleon's shipment hasn't come in and he's basically out of everything. I was wondering if it would maybe sorta be possible to put some money down for later and take something from the larder." Vallion gulped and awaited an explosive response. 

Swirlix instead just made a shrugging motion and crammed another mouthful of nuts into her maw. After a few seconds, she suddenly stopped chewing. "Wait a minute," she gravely swallowed, eyes wide with what could almost be described as terror. "If Kecleon is out of food, and the next place you checked was here...that means you're not going to be the last one!" She gasped. "My larder! You're all coming to raid my larder!" With a speed so great it could barely be caught with the naked eye, Swirlix dove head-first past the larder door. Metal clattered, thick glass clacked together, and what followed sound like it was out of a nightmare. 

"Ah-Swirlix! Save some for us!" Vallion emptied his bag of coins onto the floor to make room for anything he could grab and plunged into the war-zone. He could scarcely tell what was going on while inside on account of the rampaging fairy. so rather than pick and choose, he simply reached out with his vines and scooped up whatever seemed edible to the touch. He had only filled the bag halfway before a fluffy wall of force collided square into his chest and sent him spiraling into the mess hall. 

The larder door slammed shut while Vallion laid stunned against the hard floor. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "Ow... What the heck was that for?" 

When the Snivy looked up, Swirlix was busy activating the sixteen number combination lock she had installed onto the larder door, despite the fact that it was common knowledge that every single number in the combination was just 5. "Hah! Now they'll have to get through me!" she shouted and puffed her chest out triumphantly, crumbs still lining the sides of her smirk. 

Vallion struggled to a stand, snatching up the bag he'd filled with whatever his hands could find. "Thanks, I guess. This'll probably work for now." he muttered and twisted towards the exit before anything else could go wrong. It was necessarily pretty way of doing it, but he'd at least managed to find something to bring back to Panne. Depending on what he had actually grabbed, there- 

"Wait!" Swirlix called out from behind him. The Snivy froze in place, bag held tightly against his chest. He was expecting to have to fight for the scraps he'd taken, but instead the fairy started to pester him about a different issue entirely. "I've been meaning to ask what's been bothering you, but I keep forgetting to ask!" 

Vallion tilted his head, but kept the food behind his back just in case. "Huh? What do you mean? Nothing's been bothering me." 

"Ooh, no no no. Don't think you can play that game with me. I know everything that goes on around here. Maybe you think that Ampharos only keeps me around because I'm a good cook, but there's nobody here better than me at reading moods and knowing things I'm not supposed to know!" Swirlix closed the distance between them to an uncomfortable measure. 

"I-uh... How do you figure?" the Snivy stammered and took a step backwards. His insides started to churn. Was this about Panne? Had he really been that obvious this whole time? If so, how many other people figured this out before even he did? What if Panne already knew? 

"Oh please. I've learned how to read the soul of the dinner table. There are specific ways people eat, how fast they eat--even choose to put on their plate. It's all a language that can only be read by the most powerful of chefs. By eating my food, you've already lost the choice to hide anything from me." The fairy smiled proudly from cheek to cheek. Vallion felt his face start getting hot. There's no way she could know, right? This all has to be a bluff. You could probably get the truth out of anyone if you bluffed your way into getting them to admit. 

Swirlix huffed impatiently in his silence. "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what's the matter?" 

"Huh? Oh, no thanks. It's not important." As Vallion turned to walk away, Swirlix swung around and stood in his path with the same supernatural quickness she used to rocket into the larder. 

"Hey, you're not getting out of this that easy! Gimme the news or I'll be forced to take legal action!" her shouts echoed into halls, but it didn't seem like there was anyone out there to hear them. Not that anyone would be particularly quick to respond to Swirlix yelling in the mess hall. Especially on inventory day. 

"Wait, but why would I be legally obligated to tell you anything? Look, alright? We really need to be on our way to Poliwrath River soon. It's a rescue mission, I shouldn't be wasting any time." Vallion tried to step around Swirlix, but she matched his movements exactly, never budging even an inch. 

"I make you dinner, now shush with the questions and start with the answers! It's my other duty to ensure all society members not only have a full stomach, but a full conscience! Er-an empty conscience? I don't remember how it's supposed to go but you're still not allowed to leave!" Swirlix did not move. There was no getting around with brute force, nobody in the whole Society had a stronger posture than her. She could balance six plates on her head while eating an apple and singing. Stopping him from getting past? That was nothing. 

Vallion glanced around the room, the fluttering in his stomach getting stronger. What would sound believable? Maybe he still felt down after someone insulted his sense of fashion last night?.. No, absolutely not. Swirlix wasn't going to fall for something stupid like that. Maybe he could take some of the food out of his bag and use it as a distraction? Ah, but how much usable stuff did he actually grab when in the dark? What if he just grabbed like six salt shakers and they were all sitting on the bottom? 

"Come on!" the fairy exclaimed impatiently. "What's the hold-up? Do you honestly think I would tell anyone? If I was actually forced to tell I'd probably just fill my mouth first and then say it. My mouth's usually full, honestly. Doesn't really make much of a difference." 

"...Fine," after several silent moments, Vallion finally threw his arms down and surrendered. Another silence fell as the Snivy was forced to search for the right words to express himself. The heat on his face was already starting to become unbearable and he hadn't even said anything yet. "Hmm. It's just- Well...It's just Panne, I guess." 

"Oooh, are you two fighting?" Swirlix chimed. 

"What? No! It's nothing like that!" he tried to say, but was cut off almost immediately. 

"Listen, Vallion. When a girl's mad at you for whatever reason, it's not that hard to turn around! You just need to do something meaningful for her, like prepare a nice dinner! Candlelight, rose petals, smooth music, everything lathered in honey mago sauce and sprinkled with-" 

"Swirlix, we're getting along just fine!" Vallion had to shout just to snap her out of the trance. 

The fairy stammered and wiped the drool from her face. "Huh? Then what the heck could possibly be wrong? Did you steal her lunch or something?" 

"I- agh! No! I think I just...like her, alright?! Like, the other kind of like! The big kind! None of your weird theories that involve food!" Vallion twisted away, an unbearable heat spreading all throughout the scales of his face. His panicked eyes searched the room for anything at all to distract him from the strange knot in his chest. If he hadn't been holding the bag, his hands would surely be fidgeting. 

Swirlix gave him a blank stare for what seemed like an eternity. After watching Vallion squirm in embarrassment, she finally grinned and prepared to offer her most professional response. "What?" 

"What?! What do you mean what?! I told you exactly what's wrong with me!" the Snivy couldn't bear to look anywhere but the floor at his feet. "I mean, it's not like she's all that different than before, but something just...kinda clicked at some point. It's getting harder and harder to concentrate and I don't know what to do." 

The fairy blinked slowly before beginning again. "Oh this is not at all what I expected. Vallion, sweetie, I really don't know how else to tell you this, but everyone already thought you two were together." 

Vallion's eyes shot up. "I-Huh? What do you mean?" 

"Yep. It's been that way for a while, actually. Ampharos was the first one to come up with calling your team 'The Lovebirds' when you guys aren't around. Buizel gets super jealous that you two are so close and pouts about it. I've even heard people in town talk about it. I'm more surprised you didn't actually notice." Swirlix was smiling, but Vallion wanted to curl up in a corner for the rest of his life. 

The fairy finally noticed his discomfort. "...Oh! Don't worry, don't worry! You've come to exactly the right place to ask for romantic advice, let me tell you! If anyone knows the quickest way to a girl's heart, it's me!" Swirlex puffed out her chest once more. 

Vallion hesitated before figuring he was meant to guess. "Um...Is it...through her sto-" 

"Through her stomach!" the fairy shouted with glee. "When you get back from that mission of yours, I'm going to have you whip up a huge dinner just for the two of you! I just need you to think about the specifics--stuff like the candlelight, rose petals, smooth music, the entire larder..." while Swirlix fantasized about the costly romantic dinner nobody would serve her, Vallion was suddenly reminded that he had a mission to get back to. That, and he would very much like to exit this conversation as soon as possible. 

"Yeah, I'm heading off now," the Snivy said as he deftly skirted around the drooling roadblock. It wasn't until he was partway out the door that she noticed anything. 

"Wuh- but I haven't even told you about Mawile's fanfiction yet!" she called out after him, but he was already gone. 

"No way!" Vallion hastily replied before taking off down the corridor as quick as his tiny legs could carry him. Geez, what a stressful morning! His heart was already fluttering enough these days as it was, he didn't need that kind of knowledge added onto it. To just imagine that everyone thinks...Agh! None of that! He had the rations they needed, and that was that. 

Panne has probably been waiting for quite a while with how long that all took. As Vallion passed into the main chamber he noticed that someone had collapsed in the middle of the floor and was snoring loudly. Buizel just couldn't make it any farther into the morning, it seemed. With a chuckle the Snivy continued on his way, imagining how Dedenne would react to the sight once she came down from the office. After a few seconds of arguing with an unconscious body, she'd probably jump-start Buizel with way more electricity than was necessary. Vallion almost wished he'd be around to see it all unfold. 

As expected, Panne had already packed their supplies and now sat patiently gazing out the window, seemingly deep in thought about something. Shortly after the Snivy had entered the room, she finally noticed his presence and turned right around with bright, smiling eyes. So much for slowing his heartbeat. 

"Oh my gosh, where have you been?! Not even I get distracted for so long when I get food duty!" The Fennekin stood up and nudged one of the two packs open. "And that counts the one time when a Talonflame crashed into the middle of the town and caused like six house fires." 

"I still only barely believe that actually happened. There's no way anyone could clean up that many scorch marks in the time it takes for me to get ready." Vallion held up the pouch he'd used to grab what he assumed would be their rations, and suddenly realized that it was far more empty than it seemed. "Okay so Kecleon's next shipment of any food at all hasn't come in yet, so I was forced to raid our own kitchen while Swirlix was still inside. Frankly I'm surprised I made it out alive." 

Panne stifled a giggle. "That makes me so glad I won our game this morning. I don't understand why more people don't play Arceus, it's such a good move." Panne stepped aside so that he could stow away whatever it was he had actually taken from the larder. It was something he'd just have to worry about later by this point. They should have already left by now. 

"So what's the deal with our route? Still a little over a full day like usual?" Vallion spoke as he fiddled with straps of his bag. 

"Yep. If we left now we should get there at about midday tomorrow," Panne was able to fasten a pack to her side in just the time it took him to undo and readjust one of his buckles, caught on a pang of perfectionism. "Why was Kecleon's shipment late, anyways? I've never even heard of that happening before." 

"That's cuz it doesn't happen," the Snivy said as he finally fastened the straps to an comfortable, symmetrical degree and slipped the bag onto his back. "I dunno. He said we should probably be extra careful around the area, just in case something went down." 

"Ooh, that sounds neat actually!" Panne beamed as she restlessly started towards the door. "A rescue mission's great and all, but this one sounds maybe a little too boring. Could you imagine how much more interesting this could be? What if there were some territorial dragons that accidentally took their fight into the valley or something? Could you imagine how crazy that would be?" 

Vallion simply shrugged and followed her out. As much as he'd rather not have to fight angry dragons, it was excruciatingly adorable how worked up she was getting. At that thought, he concluded that this was going to be a very, very long mission. 

....

 

A Serperior diligently slithered through the canopy, weaving in between branches so effortlessly that the sound of his movements could easily have been mistaken for the wind as it rustled leaves. Occasionally stopping to listen, he tracked his way towards a commotion that had broken out somewhere nearby. The shouts grew louder as he approached unnoticed. The Serperior glared at the confrontation from above, his fiery eyes taking in all they could. 

"A fool! A fool is all that it makes you!" was the first clear thing he heard upon stopping. The three Poliwrath from earlier stood across from each other, two to one. At the feet of the more populated side was a young Poliwag who looked like they were about to cry. Both sides were still bleeding from their encounter with the Serperior from earlier, and it seemed nobody had made a single attempt at dressing their wounds. The pokemon seemed to think that their heated debate was more important than caring for themselves and healing. 

"How DARE you call me a fool when you're standing there as broken as I am?!" shouted the Poliwrath who stood alone. "How can you possibly understand true strength when all you do in defeat is kick and scream like a spoiled child? Have you no dignity at all?!" 

"We are not the ones who have thrown away our dignity, brother. You've already bargained with a devil just because they have words and strength. You would sooner sell your family and pride than grow a spine." the leftmost Poliwrath shot back with a cold, calm tone. 

The lone side was shaking with anger. "Sold?! You sell yourselves to death and defeat! There's far more at stake than pride for someone who doesn't know when to bow their head with grace! And you're all far too stubborn to even make an attempt to understand their words! That's stupidity, not pride! That's the kind of mindset that kings and fools die with!" 

"Listen to yourself," the rightmost sneered with crossed arms. "You're already lost. They may carry promises of a certain future, but they are not us. They do not think like us, they do not act like us, and they seek to change the very fundamentals of our lives for their own gain. Would you still side with such a pretender even if it meant our home would be lost to their rabid ideals?" 

"You both fear change more than you fear death. Perhaps I am the only one of us who isn't a coward," the lone Poliwrath growled. Their rage reignited, the leftmost shouted a series of curses and prepared to charge at their brother, only to be held back by the other Poliwrath that stood at their side. 

"Save your energy, idiots! Any more fighting and we'll tear each other apart, and there is no winners if we all are dead!" the only sensible Poliwrath cried out. The leftmost seemed to understand their dire situation enough to yield, if only for the moment. 

"Fine," they said and turned away. "But we will return, and there will be a victor. We will not be alone. What is rightfully ours will be taken back, and we will fill the river with the blood of this narcissist and his fellow traitors. If you won't stand with us, then you will join them." 

"This is exactly what they were talking about! Don't you see? You would turn so quickly on a brother, and for what? What do you hope to gain from spreading bloodshed like this?! What was so magical about our life before that you would tear my throat out over something that barely affects us?!" the lone Poliwrath tried desperately to reason with his comrades, but all he earned was a scoff. 

"Now you go and preach their choir? Enough of this," the rightmost muttered as he turned heel and began to painfully limp away. The Poliwag seemed to anxiously look both ways before ultimately deciding to chase after the two Poliwrath. Soon they all would disappear into the thickness of the forest. 

Everything went silent again. The Serperior finally sighed through his nose a breath, it felt like he had been holding his breath for hours. "I should have expected this. Nothing about this was going to be easy," he whispered to himself once certain he was alone. He started to traverse the canopy once more, moving in one fluid motion through branches and towards where his allies would be waiting.


	2. The Rules of Love and War

"Hey Val, look just up ahead!" 

The gentle breeze blew on through the evening, whistling a quiet tune as it filtered through the nearly-barren branches of autumn trees. The few leaves that remained stuck to their branches glowed a fiery red and orange--a combination which the sky would soon envy and take for itself. 

Panne pointed her nose towards the mountains just beyond the treetops. Two of the smaller cliffs conjoined at a much lower point than the rest of the range, effectively splitting the impassable wall of rock in two and revealing a great deal of the sky behind it. This was the easiest northern passage to scrape between the two halves of Water Continent, used almost daily by travelers and traders alike. It was known as Sunrise Pass, mostly because the first spots the morning sun would touch on the western side were within its crevice. 

"Took long enough. Finally time to camp," Panne's voice stood out against the serenity as they stepped away from the beaten path and into a clearing littered with crunchy fallen leaves. The Fennekin glanced towards a tree so tall that its spindly branches arched over half the open sky from the spot they were standing. It was no wonder why there were so many piles of leaves just in this particular grove. The naked tree itself twisted with splendor like a roof of lightning, casting jagged shadows all across the clearing. Given they put in a little effort to clean up a spot to start a fire, this was definitely a great spot to stay for the night. 

Despite the sea of leaves, the two managed to reach the base of the wooden monolith that towered over the surrounding forest. Just the width of the trunk alone seemed three times that of any of the trees nearby. The bark which covered its hardened flesh was craggy with age and generously coated with patches of green moss. This tree had seen its fair share of autumns, but one couldn't help but wonder when its last would be. How long did trees like this even life for, anyway? Regardless, its limbs were so high that it was very likely safe to build a fire beneath them. 

Panne immediately collapsed into a deep pile of leaves and nearly disappeared completely. A contented sigh came from within the bump she had made. "Ugh, I'm so hungry. We should have had breakfast. Why didn't we eat breakfast? I can't believe I forgot to eat breakfast." 

"You were too excited to leave. Besides, if Kecleon's out of stock, then I don't think there are many shipments coming in from anywhere besides the docks. It's probably a riot back there." Vallion jumped backwards into a decently sized mound and was swallowed up in a satisfying crash. A little itchy, but surprisingly comfortable with how much distance they'd made today. Maybe they could press a bunch of leaves down once they've cleared a space out and make a bed out of them. 

"I wish we didn't have to miss the cafe by leaving so early. It's just impossible to get used to traveling on an empty stomach," The Fennekin's voice seemed distant and muffled while they were both buried. "I mean, I know traveling on a full stomach isn't such a good idea either, but what if we had a way to bake stuff while out here? Like not an oven but a kiln or something? Imagine the kinds of stuff we could end up scrounging up to cook out here. We'd be like, culinary nomads." 

"Culinary nomads," Vallion mouthed to himself and closed his eyes. With heavier breaths he allowed the traveled ache in his short legs to radiate outward like heat and be forgotten in the modest chill which bit the air. He was able to ignore the sharp itch in his back caused by a sharp leaf poking against his recline. A silence overcame the landscape and he couldn't help but sigh. 

In his mind which he allowed to wander was the fierce appreciation of this peaceful setting even if the landscape only appeared with the memory of sight. Over a short ways came the rustling of disturbed leaves and a feminine grunt of relaxation, a clear sign that Panne felt the same way as she stretched in her own little pile. Vallion dared to imagine that none of this would quite feel the same without her immediate presence, even if it was just a psychological benefit at the time. The way that this autumn tasted would no doubt have a bitter side if he spent this gorgeous evening alone. 

Suddenly came the urge to crawl over and join her in a shared bed of leaves. He pushed away the thoughts before they could fester into anything too enthralling to cease easily. This was not the kind of burden he wished to thrust upon her, especially in the middle of a mission. To become so distracted by hormones in such a potentially harrowing situation could spell defeat easier than a splayed dictionary. 

Soon the Snivy grew restless from lying idle and sat up with the intention of setting up camp; it was the only effective way of distracting himself from these gnawing daydreams. Seeing him rise, Panne would shortly follow with the same reinvigorated determination coursing through her. There are several steps to preparing a space and preparing themselves for the night. The first and foremost was creating a fire pit and clearing the area, but still they would need to gather kindling, water, and preferably some late-growing foods to satiate a greater portion of their appetite. 

It would fall to Vallion to leave for gathering as it usually was. His body structure and use of vines made him far more efficient at performing such a task than Panne. Instead, she would fulfill the duty of manipulating their chosen location to be fit and comfortable in addition to being safe, not to mention keeping watch over their equipment so that the wandering pokemon doesn't mistake them for abandoned. It certainly wouldn't be the first time they've had things snatched from under their noses by the happenstance of a thief. 

The farewells they exchanged were as loud and silly as they were temporary. Sporting two canteens hanging from his back Vallion turned forward in the direction of thick brush and pushed through the twigs with his small body. Immediately upon departing he would begin his search for landmarks by which to find his way back, then retrace over the same area for fallen sticks jutting from the blanket of dead leaves. A moment more revealed there was nothing particular to be found so close to camp, so he started forward to trek into deeper forestry and gain some distance in his search. 

He would find that sifting through the leaves with his vines until something thin obstructed him was the best way to uncover the potential kindling hidden beneath. With an ear constantly alert for the sound of running water, Vallion gathered fuel for the fire with one vine and bundled them together in the other. There was a prominent moisture about the area from showers past that remained to dampen the ground and anything to touch it, but that wasn't much of a problem. Panne's abilities ensured that, even with the kindling being a little wet, there would eventually be a fire tonight no matter what. Such was always a boon for traveling with a Fennekin, though he would not think to leave the town without her anyway. 

During his scavenging he would often look up towards the deteriorating canopy and scan for any hint of green among the common red. There still might be some fruits which choose to bloom during this season where others tend to disappear for the winter. Past the skeletal branches Vallion noticed the sky grow richer in color and darken his surroundings slightly from when he first began. The dipping sun was nearly upon the tip of the mountains as his collection of fuel too slowly grew. He would have to turn back soon, yet at least there remained not a single cloud to the visible eye. It was rare during this time to be certain that rain wouldn't fall upon their sleeping heads as the night rolled by. 

Thankfully, a gentle burbling to the north would become apparent before it was necessary to return to camp. Following the sound a ways, he would part the bushes to gaze upon a wide stream that seemed to flow off of the range so nearby. It was a strange thing to have forgotten this was here, what with how many times they made the trip through Sunrise Pass with business on the other side of the continent. Either it was his own memory which was at fault, or Panne shirked some of her duties this morning to double check the map of possible resting points. 

Regardless, he was happy to have seen it before darkness descended too dangerously upon the landscape. As Vallion stepped onto the gravel clearing which made up the stream's shores, his eyes caught the shade of emerald among the topaz. Along the far bank were several of a hardy type of tree which, from this distance, he could just barely see bore some type of crop. The pebbles crunched beneath his weight as he drew closer to try and parse what exactly grew from the branches. Nevertheless, fortune seemed to smile keenly upon him as this combination of resources was exactly the ones he needed. 

Even at the very edge of the water it was still too great a stretch for him to be able to identify the fruit. Despite the inconvenience, he took the time to draw the canteens from his back and bend over to fill them. As water flooded into the empty space, he would quickly judge the temperature to be less than cozy for swimming. He would have to cross the stream to get to the trees anyway, so there wasn't any harm in doing so now. With a degree of caution, he found a concave section of the earth and dropped off the kindling he had collected so that they wouldn't be manipulated by gravity nor the wind. It was only with a single deep breath that he turned to parts less shallow and plunged into the stream. 

The freezing cold that assaulted his senses shocked him to his core at first. There wasn't any doubt that this water source originated from an extremely high altitude -- he may as well have been swimming in ice at this point. Briefly after recovering from the transition, Vallion pushed off the muddy bottom and surged forward against the current and angled towards the other side. His serpentine body proved paramount in his efforts as he cut across the surface, occasionally gasping for a breath before dipping his head back under. As his feet once again found ground underneath them he crawled up the adjacent craggy shore and shivered off some of the dripping excess water. Terribly jarring, but admittedly somewhat refreshing. 

Encumbered with chill, he glanced up to the height of the shore and found that the green he was searching for wasn't too far. He admired his decent execution considering some of the other times he's tried to cross rivers and ended up a mile downstream. From here there was a notable increase of detail regarding the darkly-colored ripened morsels dangled precariously out of reach. It seemed that this stream provided nourishment to the roots of several opportunistic plum trees, or at least something that looked suspiciously similar to a plum. The fruit itself wouldn't exhibit any particularly notable effects as some berries would, but they would more than easily serve to be the main course of dinner. 

Unraveling his vines, Vallion reached for the lowest branch and, like a winch, pulled himself into the air towards it. Once high enough he merely needed to climb onto the tree and allow his unique grass-type limbs to do the rest of the work. He wrapped them tightly around the plumpest of specimens within vision and twisted the fruit until it came loose, dropping them to the ground gently for later collection. At most, his balance was the only thing that made this task take any effort. 

A snarling hiss sent a jolt through his body and caused him to instantly fall from the branch, catching himself barely by the panicked movement of a vine and left hanging from his original perch. Deeper in the leaves he could see the faintest of motion and a shadowy abstraction of color. "Sssstay away from my tree!" The Ariados screeched at the intruder which had the gall to encroach upon their territory. 

"Alright, alright, fine! I'll stay away from your tree." Vallion stammered, his heart still recovering from the fright. "But, uh... what about those trees over there?" He pointed down the row to several more clusters of green leaves that leaned over the shore. 

"No! They are all my tree! Now go away!" The Ariados assured that its point had come across by shooting a poisonous barb inches past his face. Vallion took the hint well and dropped to the rocks below with a crunch. At his feet were the few plums that he had managed to pick before the pokemon caught on to his presence. Four; an acceptable enough number to accompany their meal, and quite easy to split between them. 

It was a simple enough task to toss the fruits over the width of the stream where he would pick them up. Getting across it himself, however ,now seemed like nothing but a deplorable chore. Whereas the first dip invigorated him, the second would only serve to make him shiver even more from being soaked in biting waters. The breeze which had felt so serene before had very quickly become a bane to him. The sooner he got back to camp and started a fire the better. With one more breath of fresh air which touched the depths of his lungs, he dove right back in without a second thought. 

As he crawled up the crumbling pebbles of the original shore, Vallion tried his best to shake off as much water as possible, but still couldn't quite stem the convulsions which so often ran up his spine. Ignoring the sting on his skin he gathered up the liberated plums into his arms, attached the two canteens to the strap along his back, and recollected the kindling using both vines. He climbed the steep slope and clamored about into the bushes until the path ahead cleared of dense foliage. 

Now was just a matter of following landmarks and markers until he arrived back at camp. It couldn't have been too far, not with how the sun had only just began to pull the violet night sky into view. Vallion looked to the last sign he had made: a slash across the bark of a tree using a precise Leaf Blade. Theoretically, following the direction opposite of where the mark faced should take him straight back to Panne. At least, that was his hope. Despite all his prior experience, it was impossible to be certain the slightest degree of misdirection hadn’t already steered him off-course. 

Soon enough he began to recognize a few more things scattered along his path. A warped tree which bent due east of whence he came, a felled timber whose enormous roots twisted over where he had walked, a murky pond which had once held a sleeping Surskit but was now empty, and plenty more of his own guiding carvings slit into the environment. Perhaps there might have been a few more keys to the way back, but the descending darkness ensured the more subtle arrows were nearly impossible to notice. 

A sullen growl elicited a frightened jump and bated breath from his electric nerves, all up until he realized it was his own stomach that made the threatening noise. Cold, hungry, and now incredibly thankful nobody was around to witness his embarrassment, Vallion trudged still holding his bounties over the endless crackling of fallen leaves. Although he probably wouldn't have minded much if Panne were there to tease him about it. She'd probably think it was cute more than anything- No. He couldn't let that kind of fantasy embolden. 

Considering his journey back didn't consist mostly of sifting across the ground and identifying significant pieces of scenery, it wasn't long before he had found the camp once again. Just as the sun had completely fell behind the mountains and the stars began to meekly emerge did he arrive in the nick of time. In the distant clearing Panne had made leaps and bounds of visual progress in the organization of their space. A proper fire pit had been expertly dug out and lined with stones. Leaves were displaced into two huge piles which were made at the base of the giant tree. She had even dried the ground where they would sit in front of the fire. 

Honing in on the rustling of his arrival with her huge ears, Panne turned and lit up at the sight of both him and the plums he cradled in his disproportionately tiny arms. "Oooh, you actually managed to find something after all?" 

Vallion spoke while continuing his saunter toward her. "Yeah. Found a stream which had some plum trees growing on the other side. Had to go through an Ariados but I managed well enough." With a finality, he placed the plums at the foot of the pit and tossed the canteens aside with them. 

"... Val, you're shivering." Panne's tone instantaneously took a more concerned pitch when she noticed his reaction to the cold. She placed a paw on his skin, shaking her head at how freezing it felt. "Oh my gosh. I really need to get this fire running soon, don't I? 

"The trees were on the other side of the stream as I said, so I had to take a dip in order to get to them anyway. Probably could've thought it out a little better than diving headfirst twice into the water, though. Other than the fact that it's a little chilly I should be perfectly fine." He said as he dumped all the fuel he had accumulated into the pit and fully retracted his vines. 

"Fine? You're going to catch a nasty cold at this rate!" She shouted as she pushed Vallion out of the way to begin the fire safely. There was no reasoning with a worried Panne, but he didn't deny his incredible desire to sprawl out beside a roaring blaze and lazily eat dinner. "I can't catch something I already am." He muttered coyly to nowhere in particular. 

She spun around quick enough for her ears to swing. "What? Are you sick already? Oh jeez I didn't even pack for this." The concern in her voice matched well with how hard she missed his attempt at a play on words. 

"No no, I'm fine. It's- oh, it was a dumb joke anyway." Vallion assured and motioned to continue paying attention to the fire. She glanced at him furrowed a moment longer before warily accepting and turning around. "Alright, if you say so. You better not get sick, though." 

The following flames she threw to prepare the dampened kindling sent a sudden flash of color through the environment and cast exaggerated shadows all around the campsite. While the controlled bursts were too bright for him to look at, each wave of residual heat washed over him like liquid and teased the stinging cold out of his limbs. Panne kicked a few more sticks up from the bottom and released another startling surge of fire which sharpened the landscape. 

Soon a more mild and constant heat began to radiate outward from the pit glowing a little less violently. The remaining dampness had been aggressively blasted away so that the kindling caught to a modest enough fire, painting everything with an ever-shifting shade of orange. Vallion sighed as he approached it and allowed the heat to soak into his flesh, closing his eyes to protect them from the uncomfortable flood of warmth. Perhaps he might have underestimated just how cold he really was. 

"Can we eat now? I feel like I haven't had a decent meal in weeks." Panne spoke over the crackling of a fresh fire. In the absence of chill, he very quickly realized the gnawing void in his belly which had grown all the more vicious from the time he ignored it. With a degree of swiftness, he started towards the large tree where they had left their packs, which had been hidden cleverly between the mounds of leaves. He used the flames at his back to illuminate his attempts at unraveling his own fastenings and unveiled the burlap sack he used this morning to take from the Society's food storage. 

He covered up their equipment a second time with a generous layer of leaves and took a hastened pace back to the pit where Panne waited anxiously. "Oooh, finally!" She chimed as Vallion undid the knot which held it closed and peered inside ravenously. His longing face soon cycled a rainbow of other emotions; disappointment, confusion, skepticism, and eventually an amused grin. "Hmm. We have the plums at least." 

"What? Val, what's in there? Lemme see!" Panne circled around and tried her best to glance over his shoulder into the bag. He held it closed again, turned and laughed as he reached in to pull something from the center before suddenly dumping the rest onto the ground. Out clattered a fork, a rubber ball, two crumpled up wads of paper which he could only assume were neglected reports, and the broken shell of a chestnut. At least he finally figured out what that pointy thing was. 

Panne stared a few moments longer with generally the same order of facial expressions, made more intense by the tossing back of her ears. "Wha... What was a fork doing in the larder?" she questioned openly as he shook his head and chuckled, "No, I'm serious. There is a very specific place quite far away where utensils are supposed to go. How could Swirlix even make this kind of mistake in the first place? It's ridiculous. And I don't even use forks or anything!" 

Vallion raised from behind his back what he had previously rummaged for and cut her off in the middle of the tangent. He held dearly with both hands a single roll of bread, made more dramatic by the way its rough texture appeared in the firelight. "This was the only thing I could save from the larder of the gluttony demon. Our whole legacy rides on this single roll, this hardened example of baking prowess. Everyone's future is determined now by the might of yeast and flame," he spoke as deeply as his tiny vocal chords would allow, the sides of his face hurting from how hard he resisted grinning. 

As he knelt down and presented the bread as if it were a treasure of legendary proportions, Panne couldn't stifle the giggle which bubbled up from inside her. Attempting a rather pathetic booming voice he continued, "Hark, thine stomach shall be blessed by this hallowed piece of sourdough. Dine and you will become strong, feast upon the baked dough and allow it to grant you the powers of a god." 

"Yes, milord," Panne regained enough composure to play along, dropping to her front legs and bowing her head, "I, daughter to the throne and master of fire, accept this vast responsibility to my kingdom. I have trained my whole life for just this moment alone." 

"Then eat," he said as he split the roll in two. "and become whole. Your pops and your people are depending on you." With a steady hand Vallion touched her half to each her shoulders as similarly to a knighting ritual as he could manage. Finally, she took the piece daintily into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, he did the same. The bread was quite stale at this point, and was most notable for being fairly dry and bland, but at least the presentation was admirable. 

They both finished off their rolls in silence and took a deep breath as character was broken. If Panne had the same grievances about quality as him, she certainly didn't care much to express them before her stomach howled for more. Admittedly most things don't taste too bad when you've had nothing else after walking for miles upon miles. Anyone who has had to go hungry during an expedition would know the appeal of otherwise disgusting slightly-edibles. 

"Now that we have yeast-based superpowers to save the kingdom, can we start eating those plums already?" Panne chimed with her enthusiasm intact once again. All he had to do was wave toward the fruit for her to bound excitedly towards them without a second thought. They both had two available to eat, but surely she'd blast through her own twice quicker than he could count them. If it were anyone else here who express the same voracity as her then he might even worry to grab his share before the inevitable would take place. 

Rightly so she rolled his share of plums across the ground in his direction, or at least generally since she was too engrossed to turn around and check. He approached one and retrieved it to his arms with the use of a vine. It was of good age, colored finely yet still with a decent hint of ripeness to its shade and firmness. The experimental bite he took erupted into juices which flooded his mouth and escaped down his neck as well as onto his arms. Sweet, but mostly accompanied by a distinct tone of sour. It was perfect; she knew exactly the right specimens to kick over and what he would enjoy the most. 

The second plum was a similar case, if a little less firm and a pinch sweeter. Panne had already finished off her two by the time he came around to the second half of his meal. All that would remain eventually were the four inedible pits that were scattered carelessly across the ground. Despite the stickiness which Vallion now had to deal with, it was definitely a better dinner than it could have been. Even if they could still be described as hungry, it wasn't unreasonable to fit satiated into that description. 

Together they fell to the dried spots of grass and laid back to bask in the warmth of the fire. In the respite, Vallion gazed up at the arrival of the stars above, dimmed slightly in contrast to the light pouring from the pit at his feet. This was exactly the kind of feeling he traveled for, and why he stayed so involved with the Society. He glanced over to the Fennekin beside him who gazed all the same at the night sky and sighed. Besides her; she was a majority of his reasoning. 

He turned back to the cloudless night and squinted while recounting vague shapes among the stars and beside the moon. The constellations which sparkled above were still quite new and unfamiliar to him even now. It's a powerful thing, to have to learn again something as obvious and common as the intricacies made in constellations. The time so long ago when he likely knew these things by heart was erased without even the slightest hiccup. 

That was something of a significant reason why he ended up in Serene Village when he did as his world began anew. The convenience of coming to a school at the a time where he had suddenly been rendered completely virgin to everything around him was uncanny. It indeed was an intentional action; he at least had the space to learn about the setting he had been thrust into. Every child had already been taught the shapes formed in the sky at night, and even if he were only young in structure everything around him was just as fresh. 

"Aw man, the fire's already almost out!" Panne whined to his right. At a glance he could indeed confirm that what once was a hopeful blaze had been quickly deteriorating into embers and ash. The light had dimmed considerably and the heat had almost entirely been drowned out by the ambient breeze, something he failed to notice while losing his thoughts to the dark above. Most of what remained of the energy was a few lonely sparks drifting along the air and fading from sight entirely. 

"Hm. Oh well," Vallion muttered as he sat up from his recline. "I suppose I didn't actually get all that much fuel in the end. Finding the stream distracted me more than usual I guess. At least we don't have to worry about putting it out, huh?" 

Panne grunted as she stretched before her reply, "We need to get some sleep soon, anyway. We're going to be heading off at first light if we want to arrive at Poliwrath River with reasonable time to start searching for the Larvesta." 

"Yeah, I suppose that's right. Not much reason to stay up any longer to begin with," he said while pushing to a stand and shaking the lethargy from his limbs. The fire was nearly depleted entirely by now, gently smoldering its last before the wind extinguished it altogether. Both of them began a weary slinking into the mild darkness towards the huge tree they've decided that would serve as shelter for the night. Now it came to the gleaming moon above to shine barely enough soft light to guide their footsteps. They stumbled their last for the day in the dim glow before each collapsing into their own pile of leaves on either side of the tree. 

The sound of crinkling rung constantly for the first few moments as they attempted to find comfort in their scratchy beds. "Night, Val. Be ready for tomorrow," Panne spoke over the noise and sunk deeper into the leaves yawning. Vallion repeated the notion with far less energy and curled inward, duly aware of the air's coolness and the itchiness of his makeshift cot. He tried to escape his desire for warmth by traveling deeper into the pile, though to little immediate avail. She was right in that they had to collect as much sleep as possible before tomorrow rolled around, so the sooner he found enough complacency to fall under the better. 

He would first attempt to clear his mind of any thoughts at all, only allowing the whispering hymns of the surrounding forest to grab his attention. With his eyes shut tight he tried to allow the grasping blanket of weariness to encroach upon the edges of his brain. Actively he felt his body begin to transition, breathing became more shallow and the heart slowed to a crawl. Soon the tender touch of unconsciousness would... actually, he didn't really feel all that tired. Would this be one of those nights where he had to think himself to sleep? 

A few more minutes of the same idle state more than confirmed that there wasn't going to be any easy rest to have tonight. Vallion loudly turned in his pile of leaves to a position he wasn't even sure was more comfortable than the last. Well, what would be his topic if he did need to mull over something until his body finally decided to grow sleepy? Panne's snoring from the other side of the tree was the only answer given, but he decided very quickly that fantastical scenarios were not a good choice. 

There have always been times like these for as long as he could remember. Nights where not even a full belly and a roof over his head could convince a long-awaited slumber to manifest. In particular he recalled his early days while living with Nuzleaf to be riddled with these dreadful pauses, likely due to the intense stresses of the era. Alone and uncertain of the world, he would rise after hours of fruitless positions and mental processes to shout frustrated curses at nowhere in particular. From then, he'd take nervous glances out the window and await the inevitable sunrise to turn the sky bright and signal that he had failed. He remembered more vividly how drenched in anxiety his emotional state was during such attempts. 

Panne was the first thing he found that seemed to be concrete enough to latch onto. Oh of course, his inactive thoughts always eventually lead to thinking about Panne. It's some inescapable truth that would continue to haunt him just the same as she would stand beside him. At first, he actually found her to be almost irritating-- definitely not the first he might consider to become friends with. It was her own clinging that he eventually warmed up to and found comfort enough to sleep at night. They were always meant to fit together by design, but the intense sensation of displacement certainly was a leading factor regarding their inevitable magnetism. 

He never would have guessed at the time that the carefree and overactive Fennekin were to become the pillar that supported his entire psychological foundation. The time Vallion had learned she had the soul of a Mew that same flighty personality suddenly made way too much sense. One could easily assume that the human and Mew of a thousand years past were just as close, if not even closer. A relationship so potent that it persevered over centuries later despite a clean slate and saved the world twice over. It was no wonder they ended up agreeing to wipe their memories and end up in new bodies, what with the opportunity to fully experience the blossoming of such a sincere friendship a second time. They plunged into an unknown future caught at the brink of armageddon just fine because they were together. 

Vallion continued to shift about as he let his thoughts roam. Perhaps the infatuation he feels now is a fragment of what he felt so long ago? There was no way for him to know for certain if the human loved the Mew the same he loved Panne, not without gaining the knowledge through external means and suffering consequences far too grave. The last time one of them absorbed memories of their past self... Really, it wasn't necessary to risk their lives over something so trivial. This didn't stop the question from bouncing off the insides of his skull. He most certainly didn't feel like he was getting any sleepier. 

At some point, he'd be forced to confront this constant tugging at his heart. This fact was at the forefront of his daily life and was dreaded all the same. It felt almost rude to even have the romantic thoughts he did, like he had the urge to tread over something sacred and beautiful. This love churned inside him so intensely that it was as if he were corrupting an already perfect entity. To shun such emotions was to ultimately preserve the friendship which could be compromised by them, and to embrace them meant to take an unnecessary risk that almost put in the balance every ounce of ambition and motivation he's ever had. Frankly, this grey area in-between where nobody knew was a far more comfortable, if temporary alternative. He remembered instantaneously that everybody at the Society had already assumed a relationship between them for some time now and shut down the topic as quickly as possible. At least Panne didn't know, it would be too obvious if Panne knew. 

Ugh, this was no time to get caught up in this kind of stuff. It was but this single night in which he needed to get to sleep as soon as possible and still he's getting worked up over childish things. All these things were so incredibly inconsequential to their current mission, and he was losing precious time getting caught up in them. Absolutely nothing can go wrong so long as she doesn't catch on to his occasional flustered demeanor. There, it can be left at that and he can finally stop shirking his rest. 

Once again Vallion would return to the previously failed method of blanking out entirely for hopes that the sounds of silence would lull him to sleep. At times he would become caught in Panne's somber breathing, something which simultaneously made his thoughts flutter and calmed him down. Still, he would continue to stubbornly resist the comfort normally offered by her presence as if it were decidedly detrimental. Just as he expected, his eyelids hadn't grown any heavier than when he first began. It was painfully apparent how much the leaves scratched, the cold air stuck to his throat and burned in his nostrils, and hunger still ached in his stomach. Resisting the urge to groan he instead sighed balefully at his unfortunate tendencies. 

"Hm?" The noise sent a startled jolt through him until he realized it was only Panne, and a few seconds later the relief turned to a different kind of despair. This whole time he had been tossing back and forth constantly so much that he hadn't even heard her stop snoring, let alone understand it was loud enough to wake her. A twinge of guilt shot through him as she softly spoke up again, "What's up, Val?" 

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just having a little bit of trouble sleeping," Vallion whispered back while silently vowing to stay as still as a board for the rest of the night, "I'm really sorry if I woke you up. It's just... a bit cold tonight is all. Don't worry about it." 

"I know how you are when you get like this. You're just not going to get sleep tonight, are you?" Her voice echoed around the trunk between them, the truth so painfully obviously that it actually somewhat hurt. He said nothing for the time being and continued to stare into the inky blackness between where the moonlight touched. Finally, he obliged the dirty words which rested on his tongue like a weapon or a lie, "I'll be fine, I've functioned well enough on little to no sleep before. At least one of us should be well-rested for tomorrow." 

The distant sigh which escaped her brought down another stab of guilt in his chest. "You're just going to pretend to sleep for the rest of the night, aren't you? Just to not bug me." He was read like a book, so much that it was a wonder how she hasn't noticed his infatuation yet. Or maybe she has, and just doesn't acknowledge it so that it doesn't escalate. No, this wasn't the time to be thinking about this. 

"Sorry." He said meekly. It was all that he managed to say through the chaotic jumble of apologies and turmoil that swirled in his head. A terrible silence followed, one that let the poisoned dagger of remorse slip deeper into his heart. It was an overreaction that he could no longer control. 

"...Cold, huh?" Panne suddenly spoke up from out of sight and interrupted his brooding. The rustling of leaves intensified a moment on her side of the tree, eventually seeming to move from its static position and making its way around. Before he captured what was happening the brush of fur against his skin caused him to gasp and alerted him to her plans. Panne moved behind him in the process of getting her bearings. 

Vallion stuttered. "Wh- What?" She shushed him and continued to brush against him trying to position herself. His mind was both aflame with emotion and frozen in a daze. However, she did not possess the same hesitation as she finally found a way to wrap around him. A paw somehow found a way to sneak under his neck while the other was thrown casually over his side and against his chest. He comprehended next the softness of her tail along his front, yet forgot how to breath as her whole pressed closer into his back. 

A few more seconds of adjustment passed before Panne had finally found just the right place to rest. "There. You can't possibly stay cold while snuggling with a fire type, so now you're out of excuses." Her murmuring so closely behind his head nearly sent an uncontrollable shiver down his spine. The hot breath which blew on the back of his neck didn't assist much in allowing him to parse the situation; in fact, he was outright lost to the sensation. Most notably was the heartbeat in his chest which grew so confused that it began to race quicker and quicker. 

Vallion didn't dare move an inch, scarcely breathing so that Panne couldn't hear how shaky his lungs had become. None could see the great crimson blush which had erupted so violently across his face and burned his skin. Every second he recognized more her arms pulling him closer and her tail sheltering his belly from the breeze. The length of her body curved so perfectly into his back that it was like the solution to a puzzle. There were a thousand words on his tongue that made no sense alone yet together cried love so loudly into his own ears. Perhaps he really had fallen asleep after all. 

But the end of his dream did not come. Every pent-up gesture of affection he could think of knocked at the door of his mind, it felt like he was going to burst at the seams. The panic, the fulfillment, the potential, how perfectly he laid silent and still was the exact inverse of the cacophony which made up the very creation of a thought. Even deeper a patronizing voice screamed towards the heavens that were his muscles 'Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her!' He rejected the reflex and tried to contact any part of his brain that would tell sensibility. 

Maybe she did know how he felt for her, maybe she didn't. That didn't matter at all right now. The reason she was here was because they both needed sleep and this was the only way they were going to get it. He'd otherwise lay there discontented until the sun came up, and she'd likely worry the rest of the night away over him. This at least proved he had a very good chance in the future if he did decide to tell her, and oh god did he want to tell her so bad. In truth all he had to do was take full enjoyment in this now and worry about the later steps after the mission. 

Slowly, he relented to the position until every muscle that previously ached with tension relaxed. In the arms of a lover was no place to lock up, and who was he to refuse such a gift? There was no harm in loving her and he was a fool. The thought came accompanied by a wave of courage and a bold suggestion which was still mild enough that he could indulge without guilt. In an effort to show but a fraction of his affection and return some of hers, Vallion twisted slightly in her embrace and turned his head toward the sky just before leaning into her forehead right between the ears. He swallowed the gasp which rose when her response was to bury deeper into his neck and press against his advance. From then he could have sworn he felt her face contort into a smile. 

Panne's strategy had very quickly begun to prove itself almost too effective. Where the cold had once bit his skin instead became overwhelmed with warmth from her natural body heat. The dilemma which rose was not that his eyelids were too light, but that now they were far too heavy. He wanted to stay awake longer and savor this intimate embrace for absolutely as long as possible. It was too much, he was practically drunk on how wonderful it felt. At any other time he would have scolded himself for even imagining this kind of situation, but now his guilt had been buried beneath the plush fur of the person he loved most. 

It was an uphill battle as the comfort he found overwhelmed the will to stay conscious. He couldn't even open his eyes anymore, and the fringes of his mind began to fuzz over already. Panne's affection was like a sedative to him, and more effective than any addiction would allow. There was soon no choice but to begrudgingly accept the dreams which so powerfully were thrust upon him. In the last few moments of conscious thought he engorged himself one last time to her weight pressing into him. 

"Again." 

Visibility had diminished considerably ever since it was left to the moonlight to illuminate the clearing. The Chesnaught heavily huffed as he motioned to take stance again, but the fatigue he expressed failed to match that of his opponent. Several yards away from him, a Serperior quivered with such exhaustion that raising his head seemed a strenuous task. Despite this he took in a shuddering breath, lowered his body closer to the ground, and somehow found the strength to surge forward. 

The posture of his serpentine form mattered little in this fleeting moment. It was instead the vines rising from his back that would take an immediate offensive demeanor, their tips radiating a verdant brilliance as energy sharpened the cells to that of a sword. As soon as the distance was closed between them he swung to bring the blades down onto the Chesnaught's shoulders, who merely had to raise his shelled arms to glance the blows away. In the instant one vine slid off and attempted a quick jab at his side. It mattered not to the Chesnaught's lightning reflexes as the attack was deflected. 

Next came the dance. The Serperior strafed around his opponent in search of an opening, all the while attempting to confuse them with winding strikes and feints. Chesnaught was no stranger to this tempo as he anticipated the validity of almost every blow and blocked them with a graceful ease. Suddenly he found the distance between them closed as Serperior lunged forward and attempted a bite at his legs. There was no time to sidestep the attack, so instead he bore the pain gritting his teeth and took the opportunity to launch a retaliation against their vulnerable body. 

The Serperior pulled away to retreat too late, the whole of Chesnaught's arm already flew through the air and collided square into his upper body. He reeled backward from the blow as the rest of him awkwardly slithered away with the velocity of desperation. It took barely a moment to recover before he redoubled his efforts with the tips of his vines glittering. The chorus of misleading strikes and perfect parries, a song practiced so that their movements were like clockwork. 

Suddenly, it seemed like the Chesnaught had enough of this exchange. Without hesitation, he rushed to grab one of the vines which was caught in the process of teasing danger. Still, the Serperior's reaction came too slow as his retraction ended with an iron grip and a gasp of fear. It was too late for him to take advantage of the deciding action with his other blade. His body was violently pulled forward, and now the Chesnaught would take an advancing stomp to meet the imbalance. The entirety of his weight would come down onto the snake in an instant, one arm pinning Serperior roughly into the grass and the other still strangling a limp vine. 

Motion ceased as the two stared into each other with a knowing conclusion in their eyes. Eventually the Chesnaught relinquished his hold, stepping backward so that the Serperior could wheeze painfully. With great effort he managed to raise his head while his spine popped disconcertingly. 

"A-... Again," he growled gravely, bruised and swaying. This time the Chesnaught refused to take stance and instead crossed his arms while shaking his head. 

"You have had enough, your majesty. Any more and you'll undoubtedly suffer injuries of a longer term. In truth we should have stopped a long while ago after the sun had set, it's dangerous to spar in such dim light," Chesnaught spoke with a far less labored voice. The Serperior said nothing for a time, eventually lowering his head in agreed resignation and starting lethargically down the hill. 

Together they scaled the declining slope and followed the none-too distant sound of water running over rocks. Skirting along the grassy rise was a stream so modest that Serperior's body was likely longer than its width. Chesnaught dropped to a kneel and very quickly began to scoop water into his hands to drink and splash into his face. The Serperior chose the far less graceful option of dunking their whole head beneath the water and greedily gulping as much as possible before breaking the surface and gasping for breath. It was unlike his outward character to perform such an unrefined act, but that was the second reason as to why they've chosen this place to train. Isolation from prying eyes and a convenient water source made the area absolutely divine for combat practice. 

It would be some time before either of them had regained enough composure to speak again. The Serperior would be first to catch his breath and raise their voice over the running water. "Thank you for the training, Reinhardt. There are several techniques I've noticed have grown soft in my muscle memory. I'll make an attempt to remaster them as soon as possible." 

"Do not mistake your memory for being the cause of your defeats." Reinhardt began as he took another drink. "I could easily tell that your emotions are what caused you to be reckless. It's too easy to see when you're being bothered by something, Alex." 

The Serperior did not turn to meet his eyes. "Is it really that plain to see?" He muttered to the speckled sky, water still dripping from his face to the earth below. 

"I have known you for longer than most know themselves. Even if I didn't, you expressed far more aggression in our matches than usual. You've always been one to act far more eloquently than you speak, though that's not to say your linguistics have been falling behind." Reinhardt stared at him with unease. 

"I know what you imply, thank you." Alexander turned toward his partner with a gentle honesty in his normally piercing gaze. "It's just that all of the events of recent have been getting under my skin. I expected this movement to feel almost routine with what we've done in the past, but it feels like all we've been doing is antagonizing and coercing the locals." 

The Chesnaught gave him a reassuring smile. "I know what you mean, but there's little to fret over with such insignificant happenings. The conflicts we get into here are nothing compared to what we've faced in the past. It's a little more difficult to make the first few steps of this journey, but I consider it to be just another challenge to overcome. You can't build a fence without getting a few splinters, hm?" 

"I'm aware of the sensitive nature of these things, it's just..." He hesitated to find the correct words. "Our methods seem to be especially abrasive to the pokemon already living here. The motives of our cause are just and ultimately beneficial, but there's nothing else we can do to those too stubborn to listen but fight. Not only do I need to be in top condition to fend off the inevitable retaliation, but it's the exact opposite of my intentions to cause such discord." 

"And you're apprehensive about the choices you had to make a few days ago, no?" Reinhardt added. Alexander did not deny this as he refused to reply, instead choosing the expression of silence. The Chesnaught continued on after gathering the confirmation. "You know, we'd have been burned out and ejected from this region already if you hadn't taken charge when the opportunity arose. Your leadership is the reason why I've followed you for so long, there isn't a hard decision in the world you'd hesitate to make if it were right." 

This time Alexander found reason to flash a smile at him. "How ironic, most of the time it was the other way around. I had to chase you halfway across the continent on a regular basis because of you sprinting after your dreams." His voice grew somber against the tinkling water. 

In the following pause the two gravitated their gazes upward to the waning moon and traced the glittering stars which surrounded it. During the softened moment together a wave of emotion surged forth from such a sight. It felt like the same night they would stare at years ago when they were children, a testament to what remained even with how quickly people moved. The closeness they shared extended so that both felt this deep sensation even with a single word said. Why wouldn't it resonate this way? With their tiny lives it was close enough to being true that these stars were equal to the ones when they were hopeful youths. 

"Whatever happens..." Reinhardt was first to break the silence. "Whatever you chose to do, and whatever trouble crosses your path as a result, I promise still to stand beside you. As adviser to the king, as a close friend, as anything you wish. Know that I'll have your back for as long as I breath." 

"Reinhardt. I'd be worth nothing if it weren't for you, and in several cases I'd be dead." Alexander looked again to the stream and stared past the distortion it cast on everything submerged. "A friend like you appears maybe once in several centuries." 

"And I'd do it all again just like that, Alex." The Chesnaught stood with a grunt and beckoned with popping joints. "Now come along. Our bruises are in need of treatment, and we've been out here for far too long. Any longer without supper and I fear I'll starve." 

He nodded, glancing over to the hidden shine of his necklace which he laid beneath some rocks before training began. With a lazy vine, he retrieved the chain as the moon's glow bounced from its golden reflection, the palette of emeras still tightly secured in their slots. With a sudden display of incredible dexterity he undid the clasp with the single vine and locked it again around his upper neck where it belonged. Soon enough he was prepared to hastily slither after his famished partner, who had taken the time to get a head start back home.


	3. Parallels

He had traveled a great portion of the known world, and it still astounded him even now how much difference a few mountains can make to separate a landscape in two. The forests of the east had already been ravaged by a merciless autumn while these woods had barely just begun to add a modest yellow to their palettes. An emerald shade was still completely dominant on this side of the continent, lively in its tardiness to move along with the season. It was almost as if by crossing the pass he had took a stroll backwards in time. 

Vallion had only just now needed to lower his head and squint to keep the sun out of his eyes. Midday had encroached upon them far quicker than he anticipated, the noon sun being a powerful indicator of how long they've actually traveled. It wasn't as if they were off schedule at all. Rather, minutes seemed to be ticking by that much faster today. He could have sworn they were still sliding between the massive rocks which scraped the sky not half an hour ago. And yet, judging by the mist which coated the range and their loss of detail, they were very rapidly approaching Poliwrath River. 

At his side Panne marched alike, who seemed only half concentrated on the grassy road and otherwise lost in a somber daydream. The longer he kept his focus trained on her the more he felt his chest flutter with a childish excitement. There was no denying Vallion sat atop a throne on cloud nine designated specifically for him after how last night went. Greens were instead described as viridescent, each breath seemed to touch the depths of his lungs, and the remnants of a stupid grin refused to leave his face. As much as he would have liked to stay focused on the mission at hand, there was just too much ecstasy bubbling inside of him. 

Love wasn't just in bloom at this point, it was aggressively pollinating the air and making every scent that much richer. The forced thought would occasionally be crossed of how they might begin their search or where the best places to look might be, but those were inevitably drowned out by the desire to brood over last night. This rescue mission felt so routine in nature that he could hardly concentrate on recapping the details. Even the twinges of guilt that struck to soften his giddiness were swiftly overwritten by the same. It just wasn't worth it to bottle up the feeling anymore. 

"Halt," the command erupting so suddenly from nowhere that the two could do nothing more but obey out of surprise. They peered into bushes and trees until the location of the sound was revealed from a rustling thicket. Emerging from the cover came the slinking shadow of a Mightyena who stepped towards them warily. A nervous degree of caution washed over Vallion as he was ripped from his thoughts, though he was fairly certain these parts weren't known for their bandits. 

The pokemon made a circle around them as if trying to sniff their intentions before anything was said. Eventually it completed enough of a survey to make the first snarling demand. "What is your business here? Do not attempt to lead me astray with lies." 

Panne was the quickest to answer with the muscle memory of formality. "We are from the Exploration Society of Lively Town to the east. Our directive at the moment is to search for a missing Larvesta which was reported to be in this general area. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" 

"Exploration Society, eh?" the Mightyena mumbled to itself while resuming its scrutinizing movements around them. "It's not my job to know who's already inside the forest, only to know who enters. If you two are speaking truth, then you'd be better off looking for information from authorities inside." 

"Then may we be permitted to enter as to see the Poliwrath?" Vallion took his turn to speak lightly. It seemed like every other split second they were liable to be bitten if they said something wrong. 

The Mightyena scoffed at this. "Poliwrath? Those weaklings were thrown from their seats days ago. The king which took their place is far stronger and more intelligent than they ever were. The fact that they were allowed to do nothing with their power for so long is appalling enough as it is." 

"King? Wait, what do you mean the Poliwrath were thrown from their seats? Do you mean someone came along and kicked them out?" Panne took a step forward as she questioned the pokemon. She retracted the motion quickly when it was met with bared teeth and snarling, but after a while the Mightyena seemed to accept the surrender and answered her inquiry while huffing impatiently. 

"Have you been exploring the undersides of a rock back at that Society of yours? The king defeated them all a while ago, only one of them was smart enough to accept defeat and relinquish their position while the rest ran off like cowards. Now the river has been more productive than it has in years," it explained with contempt on its breath. They still stared confused at the pokemon, it sighed balefully. "I suppose you wouldn't be able to understand unless you met him yourself? If you're on official business anyway, then come with me." 

With a twist of its head, Mightyena turned and signaled to follow it before starting towards the bush from whence it came. Vallion looked over to Panne anxiously, who mutually seconded the notion as they took pace to catch up with their guide. It was with an almost humorous lack of pertinence that they were forced to navigate the thickest patch of foliage in the area to keep pace with the careless pokemon. Their eyes narrowed protectively as they tried their best to keep an even footing, but soon enough the density faded to workable levels for their body types. The opening area signaled their probable arrival into the untamed wilds outside a forested mystery dungeon. 

Once uninhibited by vegetation, Vallion closed the distance between him and Panne and started to whisper. "You think this weird king guy could have been the cause for Kecleon's delayed shipment? If someone put guards on the outskirts of a mystery dungeon, then I can imagine something simple like gathering being affected." 

"I dunno, probably," she murmured back so that the Mightyena could not hear. "I think that this change in power thing is weird on its own. Like, I've never even heard of something as big as a territorial dispute around here go under the radar so easily. And for someone to call themselves a king, no less; I really doubt that they're legitimate royalty." 

"Do not speak ill of his majesty, wretch," their guide snapped, apparently having better hearing than they gave credit for. "He is a king in influence and direction, blood rites have no place in determining who shall lead who. You two would best watch your tongues before I rip them out myself." 

The two exchanged another anxious glance before begrudgingly continuing to follow the impetuous and agitated Mightyena down a slope infested with ivy. It was quite difficult for them to efficiently keep sight of the black tail with how uneven the terrain seemed to become. This kind of detour was something Vallion anticipated he would have to make during this mission, it was a wise idea to check in with the masters of the area to perhaps gain some insight on the pokemon they were trying to rescue. While these details of royalty and revolution were something entirely unexpected, going to see the king was pretty much what he was going for anyway. It would be best to learn about what the hell's going on from the source as well. 

It was typically difficult to tell when a natural area transitioned into the chaotic state of a mystery dungeon, and Poliwrath River was no exception to this rule. You could trek across the land and pass through several without even noticing so long as you keep little track of your bearings and not look for the subtle characteristics. The only thing static about these particular woods was its namesake. It was the rolling water of the river which seemed to elude the effect, making it possible to travel anywhere within the dungeon or cut straight through just by following the current. Chances were that was exactly where the were being lead to. 

They've probably been treading mystery dungeon ever since they stepped off the path through that thicket. The yellow-tinged trees cared not for their constant shifting and went about their business densely packing the landscape. It was difficult enough finding their way through the winding maze of twigs and thorns, trying to keep pace with an impatient pokemon who lived in this terrain all their life was a nightmare in itself. At least they'd have to spend less than half the time it would otherwise take to find the river in the first place. 

Now that he was thinking of the topic, this place was an oddity compared to every other time they've had to travel through it. Normally the pokemon who inhabited dungeons were intensely territorial and very primal in nature, and just walking through as an outsider was liable to get you attacked and ambushed. Yet now there were no vicious warning strikes, no menacing growls from the bushes, not even just a sign that others were around. To travel so uninhibited in a place like this was something that cultivated foreboding rather than any kind of peace. Was it because they were being escorted, or did the change of command really change that much? 

The same lack of activity which frightened the two was what allowed them to more easily hear the sound of water running in the distance. It must have become apparent to the Mightyena's powerful hearing long ago, as they've been moving in the direction of it for quite some time. Soon the spaces between trees glowed brighter ahead than anywhere else around them, a clear sign that the canopy would soon part and allow sunlight through. Past the last few bundles of leaves was the glittering waves of Poliwrath River. 

Vallion took in the sight a little while longer while the others continued onward a small ways. It was still a particularly beautiful day, or at least one heightened by the euphoria of love, or both. The way that the water reflected the sunlight and cast a flurry of flashes on his vision was almost hypnotic enough to make him forget that they were still on the move. He swung around upon breaking free of the spell and dashed after Panne. 

Right as he managed to catch up with them, the Mightyena chose to stop on an incline and stare down at something. Peering over the same ledge, he caught a glimpse of a Chesnaught down the shore kneeling at the water's edge. From what he could tell it was locked in conversation with several water types who poked their heads out of the surface. The partners would follow as their guide decided that now was the time to hop down from the slope and approached the grass type. It seemed they had decided well, as upon their arrival the discussion seemed to die down and the water types submerged into the current once again. 

Immediately as they approached the Mightyena would drop to its forelegs in the fashion of a bow. "Sir Reinhardt," they alerted to their presence with far more formality than was typical of pokemon living in a mystery dungeon. It was surprising the effects this new leadership had on this forest, especially from what he was seeing with this Mightyena. Most likely wild born and raised, and yet expressing a level of loyalty and manners seen only in refined systems. And said to have only been in complete power for a few days, just who in the world was this king? 

The Chesnaught apparently known as Reinhardt rose from their kneel and gestured for their guide to do the same. "Have you anything to report, scout?" his eyes wandered back to the two pokemon awkwardly standing back, and garnered most of the information he needed from just that. "And who are these two?" 

"I caught them skirting around the territory. They claim to be from the Exploration Society, and on a rescue mission in this area," the Mightyena then walked to the side so that they would have to answer for themselves. It caught Vallion off guard to be so suddenly called upon, bringing a queasiness to his stomach. 

"Uh," he stammered, still unsure of exactly how to act. "It's true. I'm Vallion, this is Panne, and we're here on a report that a Larvesta was lost around here not too long ago. Also, none of us in Lively Town had any idea that all of... this, was happening. The whole king thing." 

At first they were given a look of skepticism from the Chesnaught. He crossed his arms and leaned inward to get a better angle of inspection. "Aren't you two a little young to be in the Exploration Society? ...Oh!" his face lit up like a firework after having stared at them for long enough. "You two are the kids that fought with the Dark Matter, aren'tcha?" 

"Yep! That's us!" Panne chimed. Sir Reinhardt nodded, visibly excited, and motioned toward the Mightyena a dismissive wave. They huffed in their usual irritable way and quickly bowed before slinking off to return to whatever bush would be best to snarl at travelers from. 

"In that case, hiya!" the Chesnaught held out his huge hand towards Vallion, presumably to give an immensely disproportionate handshake. He hesitated a moment before finally reaching out and placing his own into the center of Reinhardt's palm. They shook, though very gently and especially awkward, and he pulled back very thankful that the introduction was over. Panne got away with just exchanging polite bows considering she didn't have many available limbs to shake without falling over. 

Vallion tried to shake the disorientation from his mind. "Well, anyway," he continued. "The pokemon we're looking for in these woods is a Larvesta. Have you heard or seen anything about that?" 

Reinhardt put a finger to his chin in contemplation. "Hmm... I can't seem to recall a Larvesta in the forest. Of course, we haven't been here for all too long you see. It's also mine to manage security and projects, you'd likely be better off to speak to the king himself at this point. If anyone would hear about that kind of thing, it's him." 

"Yes. About this king, Mister... uh- Sir Reinhardt, sir," He stumbled on his words trying to figure the correct terminology to use in this instance. It wasn't as if he had to deal with the layers of a monarchy very often. Before he could continue the question, he was met in response to his shakiness with a bellowing laugh. "Please, just call me Reinhardt for now. I figure in the grand scheme of things you two are easily of more importance than I, and there's not much need for such titles anyway." 

"Okay!" Panne interrupted cheerily in an attempt to save face. "We were wondering how this king came to be anyhow. That Mightyena said someone came along and beat the old Poliwraths who ruled here before, then went on about how great this guy was. None of this has actually come over east at all, we had no idea coming into this. It's all a little jarring to be honest." 

Reinhardt crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Oh dear, you two are in for an earful if none of this even crossed the mountains. And being the kids who fought Dark Matter as well-- Yikes. His majesty might even end up seeking audience with YOU at this point," He turned and beckoned to follow closely behind. Another someone leading them somewhere even deeper into the dungeon, Vallion wasn't too keen with where this day was headed. He decided there wasn't much choice in the matter once Panne readily started after the friendly Chesnaught. 

Their conversation gradually recovered as they moved along the sparkling river. "We'll try to get you on your search as quickly as possible, but there is a lot to discuss considering you two are the first 'official' pokemon to learn about this. I certainly wouldn't want us to be stepping on the toes of the Society too much." 

"We could have a letter delivered or something if it's that important your presence is known. We have gadgets, you could call them as well," Vallion spoke as he stared into the distance. 

"Ah, it's nothing so urgent. We're dealing with enough problems as it is, what with our system being such an early draft. It would probably be best to remain rather quiet until our policies are fully developed and our opposition weakens," Reinhardt didn't turn anywhere towards them as they walked, but still spoke with his hands quite vividly despite this. 

Beneath their feet was the constant transition of grass to pebbles and back again, a vibrant shore so heavily traveled by the pokemon who lived within. Conversation ceased as they all came to a muddy natural wall too large to walk around or scale while speaking. Reinhardt understandably had a far easier time climbing the slope and did so with two steps, whereas Vallion had to make the ascent using primarily his vines to gain holds, afterwards assisting Panne up in the same way. 

At the top they would bear witness to a prime example of just how strange this transition of leadership was. A handful of pokemon, though still clearly native to these parts, had gathered piles of supplies and lumber on either side of the river. Several wooden poles jutted from the water's surface outlining where the construction materials would be used, no doubt through cooperation by a few of the water types that inhabit the area. In the middle of a mystery dungeon, one of the most wild places you can get, there was a bridge being built by a diversity of inhabitants. Reinhardt noticed their stares and guffawed. 

"Last thing you'd expect to see, huh? Come along, there is too much to discuss to be standing here gawking at merely one of the many topics," he said as he began marching along once more. They followed readily despite that their eyes and minds were still primarily trained on the anomaly. To form such an infrastructure in the middle of a plane of chaos, to make a system where pokemon naturally hostile worked together so effortlessly, how did this kind of thing go unnoticed to begin with? This was a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of event that typically resulted in things like the Society being formed. 

"To begin with, you two have a fairly prevalent status as cartographers these days, am I correct?" Reinhardt said as they passed by the site. "You wouldn't have happened to stop by a place called Post Town in your travels, have you? Mist continent, north of pretty much everything, surprising amount of people there?" 

Vallion paused for a moment to try and connect the name with anything specific that came up. "...It sounds kind of familiar, but I can't really say for certain." 

"Perhaps if I referred to a place called Paradise, it would fit to your memories a little better?" he suggested. It wasn't quite instant, but the phrase rang a bell just enough to recall a rather vivid image. What came to mind was a large settlement which made its place just below the freezing reaches of the high north. They had perhaps stayed once or twice at the town during some of their prolonged visits to Mist. He recalled that it was built in just the right place to deflect most of the harsh icy weather that came from the vicinity, making winters less hostile altogether. 

It was clear when Panne remembered from the gasp she gave as realization kicked in. "Ooh, I know that place! When you refer to it as a town it gets a little confusing. I'd say it's closer to a city more than anything, but it's not really called either. A lot of the other Society members are probably heading up there right now, actually. There's this whole commotion about mapping out the nastier parts of the Mist continent before winter sets in." 

Reinhardt chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Good! That makes my side of the explanation a whole lot easier. On such a topic as Paradise, what if I told you that the current king and I were the founders and executive designers for most of the settlement?" 

"What? Are you serious?" Panne's expression had ignited even more than when she recalled Post Town. It was like she was meeting a celebrity, which was ironic considering their own reputations. "You build that huge place all by yourselves? Oh my gosh, I've barely managed to build half a treehouse in the past before forgetting what I was doing. How did just two people build make that whole operation?" 

"It was hardly alone, mind you. Post Town had already been there when we began, and Paradise just naturally began to surround it as more pokemon came to live there. It served as something of a base of operations, so to speak. I could reminisce for hours about stories and people I've met there," He paused, partly to take a breath and otherwise to stave off nostalgia. "That's ultimately the reason why we're here in the Water continent today. You see, my dream as a child was to build just the kind of place that Paradise is. Somewhere anyone and everyone could thrive in and coexist peacefully, hence the name I chose for it. Anything you ever wanted, there was a good chance you'd find something like it there. 

"And I succeeded. For a while it was just us two and everyone we met in the process, but eventually new faces came and old ones moved on. It was a fine time and all, but his majesty was always one to get restless in these kinds of lulls. The only reason he had even followed me while I chased my dreams was his own precarious situation, and eventually he found that it was a good one to share once things became regular. We retired steadily from our heroic youth to help expand and maintain Paradise as it grew too large to ignore. 

"Plenty more would come along and serve to protect our dream almost as efficiently as ourselves. It was a relaxed time, but the king had always felt like there was more to our status that we neglected. He argued that our accumulated experience and skill was better used elsewhere than this already pristine settlement. 'We could leave this place,' he would begin, 'and we could make somewhere else as great as here. Have you imagined just how much more we could do for the world? There will always be more young heroes and saviors rising from the fields, but who better than us to be the architects of a land less fortunate than this?' 

"I couldn't do justice to the reason why we chose this place specifically, that's something you'll have to ask him yourself. He was always the more scholarly one of us both. It's not that I can't be a little preachy when I need to, but I've always just preferred the raw euphoria of helping a pokemon in need. That's why I'm the one out here getting some projects running and he's elsewhere trying to piece together plans and projections." 

In the time Reinhardt spent talking, Vallion continued to survey the visible landscape for any signs of Larvesta. They had made it a great distance up the river for how long they were being lectured, yet the whole way held no signs of the pokemon they came to rescue. He supposed if it were that easy then they wouldn't have been called in the first place. Instead he came across a few more small examples of the growing process which this change of leadership brought to the forest. Projects of timber and excavation, still indiscernible from an end product due to their early arrival. The wonderment of this mysterious and wise monarchical figure danced on his thoughts like the love which infested him. 

The land surrounding them did seem to become somewhat more cultivated and managed, though not by much. There was only so much pokemon could do to tame a mystery dungeon's peculiar and vicious type of nature. They could construct a building in the center of it and live in it just fine, but the problem comes when your regular trip to the river takes a different route every passing day. It was an act of defiance to even attempt gardening in such a place, but lo and behold the pokemon living here were attempting just that. 

It was in this carefully refined patch of riverside that Reinhardt turned their direction to a path which lead directly into the surrounding forest. Their eyes opened wider once the tops of trees provided a spotty shade to gaze beneath. Panne and the Chesnaught were locked in some kind of heated conversation, but rather than a story of origin it was some sort of argument about food. It was probably just her being cute again, even a knighted warrior could be pulled in by her silliness. Vallion would have joined along if he hadn't been so engrossed with his own thoughts. 

Their detour soon lead past a thickening wall of vines and brush until they found themselves entering a pristine emerald grove. All at once a lot more began to make sense as Vallion scanned the alluring scene and witnessed the pokemon which tended to it. Turned away in concentration was a Serperior, whose vine-tips glowed slightly as their delicate touch made quick work of the ravenous vegetation which made their area. He then realized that there was no better creature to call itself a king than his own species. The natural hubris of his kind rivaled that of most mythical pokemon he has met. Even with his human soul, Vallion was not unfamiliar with experiencing bouts of arrogance from time to time. 

The Serperior would pivot their long body to meet their presence at first with a coolness, but immediately he would be struck with a gaze so piercingly intense that he wanted to shrink away. He would have described it as a blast of fire which seemed to constantly be rushing toward him, yet never quite arriving. What next came into view was the glitter of gold around their neck beneath those lethal eyes. An emera brace; Vallion quickly determined that the pokemon wore the supernatural gems on a necklace like a crown. A rainbow of colors made it difficult to isolate what they were. Red, yellow, green, purple, dark blue, and a single etching in the center where one more could be. In a way, he didn't want to know what they were. 

"And who have you brought me today, Reinhardt?" his voice was silken, soaked with just as much conceite as you'd expect. Vallion realized everyone else had been in a kneel besides him, having been too distracted by the king's intimidating stare to react. It wouldn't matter much since Panne already rose from the gesture to answer for them. "Hi, mister king! I'm Panne, this is Vallion, and we're here from Lively Town's Exploration Society on official business. There was a report of a missing Larvesta in these parts and we've come to perform a rescue for them." 

The king stared on with the same expression, either irritated or unfazed entirely. "I'd prefer it if you'd just refer to me as 'your majesty' if you insist on using shorthand." 

"Sure!" she readily agreed with a huge grin. It seemed that only Vallion felt the tension in the air that was pulling on his insides. 

"They are speaking the truth. These two are indeed on such a mission, and they are also the same two who fought with Dark Matter a while ago. I'm certain you at least have a few words for them, if at all to speak of their reputation," Reinhardt had suddenly hardened from the friendly and warm exterior he wore not a single minute ago. "Apparently word of our movement has not yet reached the eastern side of the mountains as well. I have told them what I could of this settlement and a generalization of our origins, but you'll likely have much more to say should they have further questions on it." 

Silence rung as the Serperior stared into the distance for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I will be concise: I know nothing of this Larvesta's disappearance, nor was I aware of her presence to begin with. I'm afraid your search will have to be rather thorough." 

Panne drooped lower upon hearing the information. "Aww. Well thanks anyways, your majesty. If you don't mind, we really do need to start looking for them as soon as possible before night falls. Whenever possible though we'll get right back to you and have this conversation proper." 

"Wait," The Serperior demanded, and the very air stilled down to the molecule. "I can't aid you with exact knowledge, but I can in reliable manpower. Reinhardt will accompany you, and you will be given the gift of his extensive wisdom of the area. This way you are not completely in the dark of where to search in this dungeon. However, there is a condition to this agreement." 

"And what would that be, your highness?" Vallion spoke with an unease brewing in his throat. There was something disquieting about this kingly figure that told him this exchange would not end well. 

"It's a simple bargain. I wish to speak with you, Vallion, and only you. While Panne and Reinhardt are out surveying for signs of the Larvesta, you will be here entertaining me. They will return before darkness to this same place. Is this clear?" his expression was unwavering and unreadable, just as much as it was severe. 

Vallion held his breath and glanced towards Panne in an anxious moment of contemplation. She did the same, and their disturbed feelings traveled over the atmosphere wordlessly. It was nearly unheard of that the two are separate from one another, and especially so in edgy situations like this. Would it really be worth it to split up now just for that minor advantage? What if it was a trap after all? 

Seeing their hesitation, Reinhardt spoke up from his hushed mannerisms. "There's no need to worry if you're suspicious about the legitimacy of this agreement. You have my absolute word that no harm will come to Panne during our search, and that she will return to you safely and in a timely fashion," he said and crossed his heart with a sizely fist. This brought forth the bigger concern of whether or not these two could be trusted. Reinhardt seemed ultimately reliable and friendly, but the same couldn't be said about his king and partner. In fact, very little could be said with a certainty about the Serperior, which was certainly on purpose. 

"Why can't the both of us hear what you have to say?" Vallion pressed further to try and gain some bearings on this vague contract. 

"That's a rather simple one to answer, the topic simply does not involve your partner. This, and you have a mission which must be completed post-haste. It is with this specific arrangement that both of our goals can be completed in the same space and our familiarity with the Society will grow. Does this not sound appealing to you?" the king elegantly put. The response did more than just elaborate on why it was only he who was required to stay, Vallion sensed the slightest tinge of... desperation? No, perhaps not that, but this Serperior definitely seemed to want this proposal to go through more than he lead on. 

He looked to Panne one last time for clarity and saw the reassuring smile she wore for him. She would support whatever decision he made, perhaps even to the bitter end if that was what it took. This temporary distance was nothing compared to the bond which kept them alive until the end of the world. That, or he was getting sentimental again, which was something he was prone to doing quite often. 

"Would you put your trust in these two?" Vallion asked her to finalize the decision without flinging sheer emotion into it. She nodded readily, "Sure! They don't seem too bad, what's the worst that could happen? Keep your equipment with you though, just in case I end up losing mine somehow." 

Once more he turned to the Serperior, meeting his flaming gaze with a kindred confidence equalizing the fear he once felt. "We accept these terms, your majesty. So long as we are both unharmed and together again by the end of the day." 

"A reasonable request. Prepare at once, there is as much to discuss as there are places to look through," the Serperior turned away to finish the intricate gardening which he had begun before they arrived. Panne took this final opportunity to bound over and embrace Vallion in farewell. Although the packs they carried were intrusive at best to the hug, he felt a kind of warmth surged through him to the plush of her fur. At that moment there was no other place he wished to be. 

"This guy is actually pretty spooky, don't let him do anything weird," she whispered while they were close. He murmured in assent and gave similar words of caution, hoping that the green emera on the Serperior's necklace didn't enhance their hearing. Their parting felt too soon, though it's likely to always feel like that no matter how long it would have lasted. Several feet away they exchanged final goodbyes while standing closer to their respective hosts. "I'll find the Larvesta and come right back! I promise!" Panne shouted despite the small gap between them. 

The king uttered one last command without turning around to do so. "Do well to keep her out of trouble, Reinhardt. She seems to be the most rambunctious type indeed." 

Vallion watched idly as the two scampered out of the grove and felt a looming pressure the farther Panne got from him. With how much friendliness the Serperior had demonstrated so far, there was no hope for his future to hold a particularly pleasant conversation. It was hard to believe that they were the same person that was childhood friends with someone like Reinhardt. They contrasted so dramatically from one another, though he supposed that opposites attract. It wasn't as if he and Panne were externally the types to fit together so perfectly. 

"Come," The command resonated behind him like a stone dropping to dirt as the king finished their duties. He turned and obeyed, following after their haughty slither as the grove shortened and closed away. Around them the brush started to thicken until becoming almost solid with sheer density. Above the canopy grew more intense and strangled what little light did snake its way through a thousand layers of leaves. Most of all he noticed the humid warmth which seemed uncharacteristic this close to the winter. 

Eventually the suffocating passage would open itself up to a greater area, yet one still as dark as before. Here the ground had been completely cleared of debris and vegetation, only consisting of richly colored topsoil packed tightly into the earth and a lonely stone with a level top. A damp face of grey rock rose to the side of the circular area whereas the other borders were made of closely bunched trees. None of this compared to when his gaze traveled upward and witnessed the sheer verticality above where he stood. 

The trees provided a huge web of branches which looked to connect together in a way that was climbable. Each was stripped of wayward twigs and leaves, only their whole and a layer of bark remained to an individual limb if it stuck out over the flattened dirt. Beams of the sun tried and failed to penetrate through it all and touch the earth with anything but residual light. It was a magnificent sight, one that gave the impression that this was the tallest point in the entire forest. The Serperior must have used the lattice as a living space and transportation system alike. 

Upon closer inspection back down to earth, Vallion noticed smoke rising from one uneven point in the corner. The Serperior had already made the journey there and dug a moment with their vines until a pot of some kind was revealed. It sat atop an arrangement of buried embers as it seemed, a curious way to heat something up in the middle of the forest. To his surprise, clay cups were withdrawn from the thick brush nearby and had still-steaming water poured into them. They was making actually making tea from within a desolate thicket in a mystery dungeon, it was astounding to see. 

Sure enough, there was eventually a hot cup of dark earthy-scented liquid placed by his side onto the flat boulder. He wasn't all too fond of tea, but this seemed like neither the time nor the place to make refusals. Vallion sat patiently in the clearing while waiting for his drink to cool while the Serperior was indifferent of the heat and took an immediate sip. As the cup was placed down, he waited still for his sentence to be carried out past all of this hospitality. 

"I apologize for the rather crude seating. Naturally I would hold this conversation comfortably in the branches above, but you have yet to mature into a more agile form," the Serperior said as he settled down and curled tightly into a coil. Vallion did not reply, merely nodding to the notion while bracing mentally for whatever was to come next. There was a brief fabric of silence which was ripped asunder by what was said next. 

"Vallion, there is much to say on both our parts," he finally began. "But it would be impolite to expect you to talk when I have said so little of myself. I want you to fully understand the gravity of what we will be talking about today. Therefore, I shall impart something of great importance about myself to express just how alike we are. My name is Alexander, and I am a human." 

It was slow at first, Vallion's reaction needed time to mull over the thought before reaching its zenith. What was first surprise became realization, the reason why he had to stay here was now so obvious that there was no argument. Reinhardt's story slowly was painted in a different color when it was put into account that his childhood friend was no simple pokemon. Their origins were perhaps no different than he and Panne, especially the bit where he was dragged along for a dream and found himself engorged with it. 

Alexander smiled at the colorful display of expressions. "Yes, it seems you do understand. To be truthful, it was always in my plans to seek you out and hold this same conversation. Today it seems destiny agreed with my curiosity and allowed it to come as happenstance." 

"Wait," Vallion's thoughts rushed by so quickly that he had to pause and catch them before they were eclipsed. "'When the world is in peril, call upon a human', that has been the policy for as far as time can date back to. Tell me Alexander, why are you here? There must have been some crises to which you were called upon, am I correct?" all of the hesitation and fear which plagued him in the past melted away almost too quickly, and instead were replaced by a burning intrigue. This single trait was enough to give the feeling like he already knew this Serperior. It was now not two members of the same pokemon species that sat across from one another, but two souls of displaced humankind. 

The king chuckled at his newfound zeal and took another sip of tea in preparation for his throat. "My story is more grotesque than most of its kind, though still something I'm sure you'd be able to comprehend. It's also far from as well-documented and famous your own story is. I've been able to read all about your exploits with Dark Matter from texts written by your historian, for example, whereas my own is only kept as folklore and personal recollection at this point. 

"I was not a part of some grand prophecy which would come to fruition a thousand years later. I am no hero from the past come to save the world of a distant future. In fact, my coming was an act of desperation which tore at the very fabric of time and space. I was one of many humans called forth to stop the rising plight before it engulfed Mist, an emergency mass summoning if you will, but before I knew it there were none left besides me." 

"Many?" Vallion interrupted to gain clarity, oblivious now to the fact that he spoke to someone with the status of a king. "As in, what you were fighting needed so many humans that it caused distortions in the universe? And you're saying that you were the only one left? What the hell was it?" 

Alexander paid no visible heed to his audacity, if he did notice it at all. "A force so similar to the one you fought that I was spurred to research deeper into the matter. It was a being of negativity and malignance, one wrought from the dark thoughts of all pokemon. It would further multiply the problem by inflicting just such a crestfallen atmosphere on its vicinity, Post Town. The Bittercold was what it was called after it had fed off the glacial powers of the seer Kyurem." 

It became a strenuous cognitive activity for Vallion as he thought intensely on what was being said. Not because it was too much to absorb, but rather he was very actively comparing his own experiences to that of Alexander's. "What was the Bittercold, then? Why didn't Panne and I anticipate such a thing if it was so close to the nature of Dark Matter?" 

"I theorize that it was a premature manifestation, something of a harbinger of the true disasters to come. If it were anything of the intelligent sort, it might have known you two would reincarnate on the turn of the calendar. The early appearance was likely the Dark Matter trying to gain an early advantage before your arrival and become unstoppable. If it weren't for Reinhardt and I, the damage it had potential to cause could have been plenty catastrophic." 

"I... How did I never know about this?" His reply was more to himself than anything. He finally turned attention to the clay cup to his side and raised it with a vine to sip some of the cooled liquid. Definitely not his favorite, but it was astounding that he found the mental room to care at this point. 

"Nobody could connect the dots in the end. It wasn't as if there were many pokemon left who knew about the cycle of Dark Matter, so the Bittercold was considered an isolated event when it was defeated. We thought that was that," Alexander paused as he often did when attempting to gather his thoughts. "These are important pieces of why I have stolen you today, but they were only meant to act as background. I'm afraid we will have to wait if you wish to discuss the projected details of our foes any further." 

Vallion downed another gulp of lukewarm tea while trying to swallow everything that was said so far. This was probably the last thing he would have expected to happen today. He was fully prepared to wander around a forest all day searching for even the slightest hints of a Larvesta, and instead he sat in a fully domesticated room in the center of a mystery dungeon speaking to the king of the land who also had the soul of a human. It was likely easier to allow the conversation smooth passage and contemplate it later. 

The Serperior inhaled intimately through his nose and began again. "The point is that we are both the same of a kind. Dark Matter and Bittercold, fundamentally we ended up fighting the same battle. I wish to see where our parallels are drawn, particularly during the final moments where we faced off with the reason we're here in these forms today. Please tell me the hopelessness of your last stand." 

"You want me to describe the battle?" Vallion asked and promptly received confirmation from a solemn nod. He sighed and gathered the vivid memories as words. "It was the core of the Tree of Life, and we had finally seen the true form of darkness. Few remained on the planet who were not already petrified, and those who moved freely fought along with us. Everything we ever knew was on a countdown until we burnt up in the sun's proximity and inevitably been reduced to a lifeless rock." 

"Ah, yes. I recall being reduced to stone quite lucidly. It was not a kind time, but at the very least it was not mine to worry about being broiled to death," Alexander took a drink and motioned to continue. 

It was his turn to ponder silently on the magnitude of his recent past. The urgency which encompassed the finals days of he and Panne's purpose made each moment a blur, yet the mood of reminiscing could easily recapture the dread of his ascent towards Dark Matter. Much had already been revealed of Alexander's past, and now his own was beckoned to be unveiled. 

"I was frightened," was the best way he could think to start. "The world had been in shambles for days, and we were the only ones with the capacity to undo the nearly irreversible. Our scarves, fashioned from the cells of the very sacred place we stood in, granted us the power to temporarily advance to full physical maturity and protected us against being petrified. Yet even that was not enough to prevent the feeling that oxygen had been completely drained from the air." 

The Serperior raised a vine to insert his own narration. "This was also the nature of the Bittercold. A wind with such negative energies that anything that wasn't a human would suffocate from stepping anywhere near the source. Despite this, it was a defensive mechanism which most certainly still inhibited a human's progress all the same. Your scarves must have deflected most of the effect." 

"Indeed. I know this aspect as we weren't protected forever from it. It would come to a terrible reality that this force was far beyond the strength of two pokemon, even with that advantage. Soon the Tree of Life, separated from the earth, began to fail along with our enhanced abilities. The asphyxiation truly began when we were thrust into our original forms without seeming to have even scratched the surface of Dark Matter." 

Vallion stopped to take another sip of his otherwise neglected tea. Just recalling the battle was enough to put strike at his chest with the phantom of desperation. "We laid still then, our bodies all but given in to exertion and battering. I had only barely found the strength to stand again when we did find our inspiration. It felt like I was dying, every second was more suffering than I had ever experienced prior, but eventually damage finally started to show on Dark Matter's shell." 

"Stop," Alexander's sudden outburst shook him from the tide of emotion which enveloped his vivid story. "That is what I need to know the most. Tell me of the strength you found when all hope was lost and your body failed to serve its purpose. What was its nature, where did it originate, how much did it burn? Describe to me the fuel which burned inside you that ultimately preserved the world as we know it." 

It was a sudden question, but not one Vallion could pretend he didn't know the answer to. He was still forced to wait a moment while attempting the process to put such a robust scene to simple vocabulary. "... At the point where we had collapsed, it felt as though everything was lost. The embrace of failure wrapped around me and was coupled with an undeniable sense of doom. And the worst part of it all, I felt absolutely fine with it. Even in the face of death and destruction I actually laughed more than I could cry. 

"The second I heard Panne's voice was the same in which everything shifted into dire perspective. I was perfectly content with my own demise, but I had realized that she would go down with me. It was unacceptable, she was supposed to be safe with me and I was about to let her down. The world she loved was in peril and its end was nearly my own doing. My screaming muscles and tendons suddenly obeyed me once again, reluctant yet empowered by some otherworldly surge of willpower. How could I ever forget such a revelation?" 

"I see," the Serperior said, and silence fell once again. Unsure of whether or not to continue speaking, Vallion impulsively took a swig of his nearly empty clay cup. Just speaking about it reminded him of the of the gravity between him and Panne. The same bubbly feeling which encompassed last night rose once more and caused his heart to thud excitedly in his chest. 

It wouldn't be until after Alexander finished off his drink that he would speak again. "My final battle was one spent alone. If Reinhardt had been anywhere near as close to the Bittercold as I was then he would not be here today. My fuel was the knowledge that all who could not accompany me instead prayed desperately for my victory. Their cheers, I felt and heard them from miles away. It was the only way I could garner the strength to take each gasping breath. So you say that you're driven by your love for Panne?" 

Vallion downed the last of his tea. "Love... Yeah. I wish I could say it was something a little more noble, but I cannot be dishonest with either of us. Without her, my ambitions and determination would have melted away a long time ago. I know this because I've experienced that very loss before," he left it at that. At the same time he felt both equal and apart from the king which sat across from him. Perhaps they would have ended up being the same as the other if circumstances were swapped. 

"Tell me of Panne's dream," Alexander inquired next like an interrogation. "What is the aspiration which you have borrowed a ride on? If I am correct, then there must be one." 

"To build a map of the world. That is why we so tightly remain in the Exploration Society," he replied promptly. 

"And you know of Reinhardt's old dream, correct?" 

He nodded. The Serperior seemed to find amusement in this, or at least enough reason to smile at him. "Then perhaps you would understand better than most why I have chosen to cultivate an empire here of all places. If you could, then there is something greater to be said about our likeness after all." 

That was the main event. Further than the meeting of two humans was the understanding of this strange civilization which clashed against the mysterious natural forces of chaos. It was a bold thought, but Vallion tried his best to piece together the puzzle which had been presented. "You helped to build Paradise, right? A bastion to all pokemon who come, weary or wasted they could find their place among the many faces who thought the same. To battle against the absolute yet unknown laws of nature within a mystery dungeon is just as ambitious. There is a greater social reason than just building another paradise, isn't there?" 

There was no further explanation as he stopped talking, or any response for that matter. Alexander's deadly eyes glazed over and stared pointlessly into the distance when Vallion looked up to him. The empty gaze ended as his eyelids lowered and a somber sigh left him. "I would continue this conversation, and believe me that I wish to, but I have remembered other official matters which I unwittingly neglected. Do as you will until Reinhardt returns with your lover, these duties will take the rest of our time," he muttered before leaving his tight coil. It was almost humorous how quickly he slithered up a tree, into the branches, and without much of a rustling into the surrounding forest. Just like that, Vallion was alone. 

Lover... It certainly wasn't an incorrect way to describe them. Although they hadn't quite fit the entirety of the word yet, that was his wish wasn't it? As he took a stand he felt his legs awaken from a prickling slumber. How long had they been talking for, anyway? It couldn't have been long with how the sunbeams above were angled. No matter the exact calculation, it was disproportionate in comparison to what was said in such a small time. There was little which could have prepared him for the day he was having now. 

In the new-found lull Vallion strode into the dark passage which served as the primitive gateway into the grotto that was Alexander's lair. Now was the time he needed to absorb everything, or at least contemplate the vague assertion which was made but never finished. He felt that it would have been strange to do so while in another person's home. The shadowy path seemed to stretch even longer the other direction, but finally the tight space began to widen into the grove where he first caught sight of the king. A hundred snippets of sunlight were all that revealed the silent enclosure hidden in an order of discord. 

He found an adequate stump to lean against and slid down it lazily while his mind raced onward. Panne would eventually return from the search and, empty handed or not, they would be reunited safe and sound. There was a lot to say, and he would regale her with the revelations of today along with perhaps a little more than a declaration of love. It was burning too intensely within him to be kept bottled away for much longer. He wouldn't be too direct with his presentation, but it wouldn't be hard to infer his undying passions while explaining his discussion with the human king. 

Vallion allowed himself to get lost in the introspective fantasy. Sure, there was much to meditate on regarding Alexander's journey in comparison to his own, but he couldn't help it. It was no accident when the thought of a Serperior coiling intimately around a Delphox made a presence at the forefront of his thoughts. When they completed creating an intricate map of the world, what would they do next? Would they be as ambitious as the two partners who took rule of this river? He'd just be content with being with her... 

 

..Zzzz..


	4. Fragile

"Val!"

His eyes shot open as a startled snort reverberated through his sinuses and signaled his awakening. The sound... was too distant, and didn't repeat itself. It must have been a hallucination from the dream he was just in. Wait, had he really fallen asleep so easily? The light which stretched past the thick blanket of leaves into the grotto had indeed changed positions from earlier, and seems to have grown an orange tinge from when he last saw it. He must have dozed off while reclined so deeply against this stump and ruminating on aspirations and affection. Most of the blame was pointed at how late he tossed and turned last night. 

"Vaaaal!" it was no trick of the mind, the noise had drawn closer since the last time he heard it. Vallion sprung from his seat at the sound of his pet name and shuddered as his sleepy body was hit with a sudden wave of excitement. Was it an emergency? Was it harmless? He ran to the camouflaged exit of the grotto regardless of any potential answer, the only thing that needed to be said was that Panne was calling for him. It was practice and panic that allowed his legs to go from slumber to sprint in the matter of moments. 

At first the blaring sun to the west stung at his still-adjusting eyes, and nothing faint could be heard over the constant motion of the river. He struggled as he searched up and down the current to find the source of the familiar voice. Squinting, he was able to catch a silhouette bounding towards him from farther down the bank. It was the silliness of her bouncing ears that would give her away in the end. 

"Val, look!" Panne shouted as the distance quickly closed between them. He squinted harder, and by straining his eyes he could see another short shadowy figure running beside her. It was vague at first trying to identify what pokemon it was, but as they drew closer and the sun relented it became all too obvious. "Oh, no way," he muttered as the her and the Larvesta skid in the dirt and panted hungrily for air. 

They must have ran this whole way, considering it looked like they were about to fall over at any second. Vallion ran over to steady them with his body and vines, but it seemed like Panne was already content to collapse into the grass. "You found them already?" he muttered as their gasps overtook the sounds of the river. "It hasn't even been half a day and yet you still managed to find Larvesta?" 

Panne's first reply consisted entirely of gibberish as her vigorous respiration obstructed any chance at making sense. After a few moments and an exaggerated gulp of the wind she made a second attempt. "Yeah. I promised you, didn't I...?" she paused. "It was kind of crazy, where I found her..." and again. "She was in this cave, behind a cell like a prisoner or something..." 

The Larvesta took turn to speak next, though she had just as much difficulty producing legible words with how heavily she was breathing. "We have, to keep moving... We shouldn't stop here." 

"Wait, what? What's going on?" Vallion tried his best to understand both their labored mutterings and what they denoted. "What do you mean Larvesta was in a cell like a prisoner? And where's Reinhardt? Weren't you supposed to be searching with him?" 

Realizing this, Panne turned her head lethargically and scanned for the hulking figure, who most definitely was nowhere to be found if she had to look. She shrugged and allowed her chest to heave a bit more before speaking again. "I'm pretty sure I told him we should split up. He was super slow, and admittedly a lot less fun than you when it comes to missions. You know, I'm not sure if he heard me now that I think about it," she openly pondered while Larvesta shuffled impatiently back and forth beside them. 

"Guys, we really need to go," she said desperately beneath her breath. Vallion turned to the Larvesta with a slew of questions that his partner seemed to not have answers to. "Alright, why were you running and why do we need to keep running?" Before she could respond to any of it, a sinister voice rung from the treeline that ran up everyone's spines and caught words in throats like a net. 

"Leaving so soon?" the velvet tones came without any warning at all and caused Larvesta to shrink away behind the two. Vallion became diffused upon realizing what creature made the noise, connecting the dots with the familiar sound of Alexander's voice and how stealthily he made his exit earlier. Sure enough, the Serperior deftly crawled down from the cover of leaves and joined them on equal footing. The radiance of the sunset would dull the natural vibrancy of his colors but fail to disguise the fiery glare which was set upon all of them. "I'm not certain our conversation was quite finished." 

Panne would relax next and performed a tired little kneel toward the king. "Hiya, your majesty! We found who we were looking for!" she said, having recovered most of her breath. "What were you two talking about for so long, anyway? It's hard to believe that, after all this time, you still might not be finished." 

"I'm afraid those topics will have to wait. We're about to undergo a rather heated one, seeing as how you've found the Larvesta so handily," Alexander still spoke from a good distance away, but still their escort trembled behind Panne and whispered continuously from them to get away. This reaction brought a terrible feeling to the pit of Vallion's stomach despite his justified comfort with the Serperior. 

"What do you mean?" he questioned more and more, ready to bear the weight of bad news on his shoulders. He was ready to bear the weight of ANY news at this point. "Why would us finding the Larvesta lead to a heated discussion? I don't understand what's going on, I just woke up for heaven's sake!" 

Alexander did not immediately respond, instead choosing to look towards the ground with a grim expression. "In times with crisis on the horizon, it's sometimes required to bend the truth in order to maintain order and prepare for the inevitable. I do hope you two make an attempt to understand my reasoning," he looked up with unyielding eyes and delivered his royal decree. "The Larvesta must stay here, for the safety of both this forest and the pokemon under my rule." 

"Woah, woah! Hold on," Panne interjected. "Why would she need to do that? Do you think that a little Larvesta could burn down the whole forest or something? Wait, didn't you say that there was nothing you knew about her when we asked you the first time?" 

"As I've said, the truth must sometimes be manipulated for the better of us all. Perhaps a mistake has been made in trying to bend it around you two, however. All I had hoped was to not invite such strife to my esteemed guests, but after hearing your directive for the first time my naiveté got the best of me. Regardless, it is of absolute importance that this Larvesta stays in this forest and return under my supervision," Alexander spoke with a somewhat melancholic tinge. 

It was then that Panne began to catch on, placing her foot forward and throwing her ears back. "Then that cell was yours, and that guard as well? I thought that maybe a bandit might have captured her, but it was belonged to you after all? Have you been keeping her as a prisoner all this time right under our noses?" 

Before an explanation could be offered by the Serperior, a shouting came from farther down the bank. The massive form of Reinhardt came stomping along the river while yelling for Alexander's attention. He clamoured close enough to see the scene, his pace beginning to slow and countenance growing darker by the second. It must have been the sight of Larvesta that brought the urgency in his sprint to a screeching halt. Once within earshot, the Chesnaught swallowed the phrase he had prepared and manufactured a new one. "I'm sorry, my king. She snuck off without my notice and moved too quickly for me to track. I knew it was already too late as soon as I checked the cave." 

"Worry yourself not, Reinhardt. This will perhaps offer us better opportunity by which to explain our actions and, if successful, will put my conscience at ease," Alexander said as he began to move forward, trying to place their conversation into more personal space. 

Panne saw this gesture and quickly shifted into a defensive posture between Larvesta and them, the disbelief on her face being painted over with anger. "And Reinhardt, he was meant to stop me from finding her as well? Was that why you separated us the way you did? You will not come an inch closer until you explain yourself, Serperior! Why have you been lying to us!?" 

He obeyed the threat and stopped in place. Everyone turned to the king and awaited a response, but he continued to stare into the distance attempting to piece together a convincing argument. Alexander gazed into Panne's fury and surrendered his excuses. "When we tried to bring order to these woods through speech and persuasion, we were met with mainly scoffs and hostility. Our meddling ended up disturbing the immobile and imbalanced peace which overcame the land. The Poliwrath, threatened by our presence, violently fought for their territory. Once they were overthrew, it became clear that our power was to be respected. 

"But that was not enough to win over the entire land. Many more either left or had been forcefully ejected because of their stubborn enmity. The parents of this Larvesta are not from this region originally, but they still densely oppose my ideology and existence. These two Volcarona are immensely stronger than perhaps even the previous rulers. They are surely to be included in a force somewhere outside this forest that is growing, planning, and preparing right now to launch an attack on my kingdom and I. Our scouts have confirmed it and I've seen firsthand several accounts which confirm its existence." 

"So you decided to hold a child hostage? That doesn't make any of this sound better than it did before. All your dishonesty towards us isn't helping your case either, so get on with it," Panne interrupted his clarification with a taste of her anger. It was silly, such a cute little thing staring contempt into the piercing eyes of a veteran fighter. 

Alexander's patience and resolve continued to shine through above all. "It's not as you think it is, they were no hostage. To be so implies that any harm would come to them, but the Larvesta was treated with perhaps more hospitality than the both of you. Her presence here is the only reason why the opposing forces which seek to remove me haven't launched an attack yet. The Volcarona have a great destructive power that would lay waste to a great portion of the forest, and they most certainly would raze this place from just their hatred of me alone, but they refuse to commit with the knowledge that their child is lost here. I have chosen to keep her as a guest so that we might have enough time to prepare for the assault." 

The Serperior was met still with a condescending scoff from Panne. "A cell and a guard, that's what you call hospitality? I suppose that would be true with how much wool you've attempted to pull over our eyes. Come on, Val. We're taking this Larvesta back to her parents and heading home," she said before starting to haughtily saunter up the bank. Reinhardt, still quite distant, moved very clearly to stand in her path. The act shifted her furious visage to the Chesnaught. "If your kingdom won't survive without kidnapping scared little kids, then it will not survive at all. Now let us leave." 

"It's truly a pity," Alexander began without a hint of external emotion. "I would stay here all night and attempt to bargain just to keep this peaceful, but I'm afraid that might not be possible at this point. It seems your partner is just as stubborn as the pokemon thrust outside of my borders, Vallion." As his name was called, the dazed spell which overwhelmed his senses from watching the scene unfold wore away. The king continued, "You already know much more of my ambitions than she, and I do apologize for placing this burden on you. It is up to you now how the conclusion to this altercation comes about. Know for certain, though, that the Larvesta must remain here for a while longer if I am to succeed against enemy forces." 

Vallion's heart started to race faster as every spotlight started to shine on him. Each eye felt as though it were burning holes into his skin, especially the blood red stare which Alexander refused to use sparingly. What ran quicker and colder than his blood still was his mind, which fell into a corner of panic as he was determined to be the final say in this dispute. Everything was too skewed, Panne didn't know everything there was to know about the king. But the same could be said for him from how their discussion earlier had to be cut short. 

Dizziness began to overcome him, but it was when he took a glance at Panne's serious expression that the world stopped spinning quite as much. This wasn't a matter of choosing between her and the human he met today, it was about morality and hard decisions. It was obvious this conflict wasn't what Alexander wanted at all, none of this was in his plans for a better future. If his story was to be believed, if any of this warranted a second chance at honesty, then the greatest truth was that neither wanted to fight the other. For two humans to meet is such a rare occurrence that they may as well have been kin. 

The rolling river which they stood beside, the modest afternoon wind, and his pulse rattling inside of his ears. It was between a leader's potential and an ethical dilemma-- No, he was wrong. More than anything else, this was a test of his beliefs. This was indeed a matter whether to join Panne's side or not. As resolute as she seemed to be now, anything he chose here would ultimately be forgiven in the end. Even if he went against her judgement and allowed Alexander to possess the Larvesta. She... she shouldn't have to do that. The Larvesta shouldn't have to go through this, nor should the Volcarona, but still he couldn't justify his own selfishness by simply believing in a convenient high-ground. This was always going to be about Panne in the end. 

"I'm sorry," was all he uttered at first to Alexander, but everyone could already gather what the outcome was from just that. "Our mission was to rescue Larvesta from Poliwrath River and return them to their parents safely and swiftly. It was impossible to account for your territory, but we shouldn't have to if it interferes with the completion of an official task. I'm sorry if it would indirectly harm your social and political movements, but it must be done. The ramifications you might experience as a result are none of our ultimate concern or fault." 

The silence which followed was agonizing, but what occurred once it broke was eternally more unnerving. Alexander did not grow angered or distressed in the void. Instead, a grin slowly crept across his face, and bubbling from inside of him came a sinister chuckling which grew more mirthful as time passed. Finally he would force himself be calm to impart his say. "Spoken like a true little soldier. I didn't take you to be one who so closely follows orders, but that was only a nice way to present such an answer, wasn't it? Our kind has such a fragile connection to this world. The selfish values we possess are all that keep us grounded on this alien plane, and you know well to hold onto yours like a... lover." 

Vallion tried and failed to swallow the lump in his throat as the faintest sound of unraveling vines traveled the distance between them. Alexander continued to speak without hesitation while two thin appendages uncoiled from the sides of his body. "As much as it pains me, you've given me but a single path to walk which leads to the continued prosperity of my dreams. And yet, I can't help but look on the bright side of this dark scenario. Imagine how rare it must be for two entities of our kind to battle with such deciding and ruthless intent." 

"I'll take Reinhardt, you handle the king," Panne whispered behind, but it could have gone without saying. It was a mutual feeling amongst everyone else who would be fighting who, there was no other possible arrangement. Vallion released his own vines and muttered a sincere apology toward the adamant king who stood to oppose him. 

"Think nothing more of it," the tips of Alexander's vines began to shimmer with a green light that rivaled the luminosity of the setting sun. The Energy Blades which formed were at least twice the size of his own, and had a disturbing sharpness that made his skin crawl. "Think instead of the love that fuels you, for this is no sparring match. Relinquish mercy and show me the strength which delivered us all from ruination, and I will show you mine," he said, lowering his head and shifting his body to an offensive posture. 

This was it. Throwing his equipment to the ground, Vallion felt the tips of his vines tingle with their own brand of chlorophyllic energies. They wouldn't compare directly to the sheer power which the king seemed to possess, but that doesn't mean he can't still win through careful strategy. There has been plenty of worse trials in the past which he completed while a little weaker and a little more ignorant. This unique Serperior, while intimidating, shouldn't be much more than a routine challenge to incapacitate. 

Even the merciless gaze that was locked onto him wasn't enough to dare his muscles to freeze. Vallion charged forward at his foe with blades poised and adrenaline pumping. At first he would choose to use a gauging maneuver, coming barely in range of the stationary Alexander's vines and suddenly twisting away in the opposite direction to test his reaction. The Serperior didn't even flinch at the movement. It was likely he already knew the trick, and judged that Vallion wouldn't be foolish enough to use a direct strike immediately on a target which was positioned to return the favor. 

He surged forward again, this time with the intent of testing the speed and defenses of his opponent before fleeing out of range. It was fully expected that Alexander would launch a counter-attack before he could retreat out of range. He was all too right. Not even a gasp had time to escape him as he hit the dirt to dodge a blur of verdant motion. The vacuum created in the wake of the two sweeps whistled as Vallion scrambled forward to deliver a blow while their vines were preoccupied. It only took an instant for the Serperior to deflect the attack with crossed blades, and one more for another slash to be aimed directly at Vallion's torso. Another close call flew by as the wind tried to slice him instead. He hungrily took the following opportunity to sprint away and find a safe distance. 

Although the impact of the vines was little, those strikes could have probably caused a mortal injury if Alexander had thought it necessary. The only thing that kept him from being minced in that engagement was the astounding muscle memory he developed during his travels. Suddenly an offensive was launched by the Serperior, who closed the distance impossibly fast and swung a horizontal blade just over the ground to target Vallion's feet. It was a startling quickness and range, he barely had time to jump over the attack. An impact clipped against his lower body, and the world spun senselessly until the earth inevitably smashed into him and reverberated throughout his bones. Pain spread like a wildfire as he struggled to find a breath. 

Stumbling, Vallion rose again and brandished his vines to intercept a continued attack, but Alexander had already backed away and patiently waited his next move. Something was definitely wrong, he had certainly dodged that assault for a full second before hitting the ground. There hadn't even been a second vine involved-- realization swept across his mind like a flood over a plain. The glare of gold around the king's neck shined greater than the sun in his perception. The identity of the first emera had been revealed: Barrage. On every defensive motion from now on, he would have to account for the afterimage as well as the main strike. 

His perspective was locked firmly to this stand-off with Alexander, but his peripherals often caught the ground shaking or eruptions of fiery light carrying heat on the wind. For a few milliseconds he silently prayed for Panne's safety in her own fight and that it would fare better than his own. Vallion sucked in a breath, which summoned little pangs of pain along his back muscles, and charged forward to meet his foe. 

A defensive position had already been taken, so he predicted that the Serperior would use a technique which revolved around parrying a select move and performing the riposte. He chose to keep moving and tried to use intentionally glancing strikes as a diversion. Once he circled around to the flank, that was when he would attempt a deciding blow. While he was correct about the style of defense, Alexander expressed almost an ease in twisting his serpentine body and blocking with a single blade while cutting off his advance using a preemptive chop. Vallion was forced to retreat again after sizing up his opponent one last time. Nothing had been accomplished yet on his end, he would have to commit to an attack if he wanted to get through those perfect reflexes. 

It was like a primal invitation of challenge the way Alexander continued to make unyielding eye-contact. He took the bait, rushing forward with full intentions of wounding and none to pull away. His first action was to pivot in the grass as if to begin circling again, but instead redoubled onto his assault until there was barely any distance between them. The idea was the sheer size of the Energy Blades being used against him would hamper their dexterity in such close quarters. Finally it seemed like Vallion got the upper hand as his opponent was forced to take a purely defensive posture against the first slash. 

He didn't hesitate to continue slashing away fruitlessly at the blades if it meant that he could maintain this seldomly earned advantage. As long as he sustained the speed at which he clashed against the defense, he was safe from retaliation and would eventually find an opening. What a foolish mistake this turned out to be, having honestly believed for a second that such a formidable combatant wouldn't be able to adapt in a tight situation. Suddenly Alexander allowed a mindless jab past one of his vines and through their protection. It stuck cleanly into their flesh, but was a purposefully chosen as the trajectory aimed for a non-vital point. Vallion panicked to pull the blade back towards him, but the tide of battle had already turned. Two viridescent claymores had already crossed like scissors and dismembered the entire vine from his shoulder. He cried out in a startled pain, just long enough for Alexander to spin with his entire form and bash him away like a ragdoll. 

The wind in his lungs left as soon as the ground so harshly came. Instinctively he scrambled to his feet as quickly as possible, but he was still far too disoriented to remember what direction up was. Accompanying the searing pain that radiated from his insides was an intense stinging which originated from within his shoulder. The raw flesh of his freshly destroyed vine burned balefully from within its sheath. A disastrous misstep, he had taken what felt like serious internal damage and lost half of his offensive capabilities in but a single moment. Every action he performed from here on was now twice as precious. 

Meanwhile, Alexander looked to be completely unfazed by the wound he received to his lower body in return. Without even cringing he pulled out the useless plant matter and threw it to the earth, allowing the injury to ooze freely. In the nauseous daze, Vallion could merely confirm a single thing: the identity of the yellow emera was Type Bulldozer. It was the only answer for how effectively he had been sliced through, and it made sense with how much pain he was in from his same type. 

Even while hunched over in this crippled state, he wasn't out of the fight yet. It wasn't as if he hadn't been in even more dire straits than this. Perhaps a single vine was all he needed to finish this fight, or maybe with all the information he had gathered, it was possible to win after all. Admittedly it was an arrogant move to fight so aggressively against someone whom he barely knew and seemed to possess a reactively oriented technique. Vallion grunted as he forcibly straightened his posture with a frightening crack. There was still more to his strength yet. 

And yet, he didn't stand a chance. Fed up with waiting, Alexander took initiative to advance against their weakened target and finish them off. Vallion shouted and raised his vine to block anything which came his way. It was knocked away in a single strike, and another slash came directed at his side. In his condition it was impossible to dodge the entire blade, much less the Barrage portion of the attack. Two gashes opened on his torso as he fell away. The Serperior's vines released the glow which was stored inside of their cells, and instead he chose to bludgeon Vallion about like a predator playing with their food. There was no such muscle memory he could use to escape the brutal beating that fell from all sides. Eventually a merciful blow would finally fall on the back of his head, and darkness enveloped everything. 

...But why could he still think? Only the most bare of cohesive thoughts were available to him, and yet it was astounding he was aware at all after taking that kind of hit. An overwhelming ache surged forth from inside of him as his senses slowly began to recover, and at such a point he perhaps preferred to stay in the darkness. With the pain came a gradual comprehension of the brazen and serrated world around him. He found that gravity had left him, but it turned out to only be Alexander holding him in the air. Vallion could barely manage a pathetic whine as his other vine was held outward and sliced clean off. It was then that his vision was encompassed the Serperior's relentless gaze, which gave the impression of neither pity nor remorse. 

"And that's that," the voice still sounded like it came from a mile away despite being able to feel the breath on his face. "It's a shame how things turn out sometimes, but this adversity may only serve to make us stronger. Remember this haunting defeat while you recover and seek the will and prowess to better serve your ideals." 

Gravity returned as the vines relinquished his form and allowed him to drop limply to the earth. The landing should have perhaps had more impact then it did, but the world once again began to slip out of focus. It wasn't such a desperate urge to writhe in pain as most of his cognitive ability fell away for a dull and dark existence. He wasn't sure if he was breathing at all, but such a luxury like control or awareness wouldn't come so easily in this detached state. Admittedly, the void which he floated in had a kind of bliss around the edges that made the hurt a little kinder. 

Alas, this peace would never do to last forever. He had slipped away into unconsciousness in the middle of a battlefield, after all. One where the link which kept his chain connected to the universe could be heard screaming his name over and over in utter despair. A flutter in his overworked heart, a spark in his dormant brain, a call for action that couldn't be ignored. Vallion's eyelids opened, obeying not him but the voice so soaked with fear and grief that he would raze the world just to never hear it so pained ever again. 

"Val! Please get up! Please!" she howled in anguish to his ravaged body. Memories rushed by of the same voice, but it instead was filled with laugher and joy and joking. That was how it should be, not ever like what it was now. A supernatural force came over his rebellious tendons accompanying a tide of emotion too powerful to contain. Trembling and undone, he rose; if only then just to comfort the entity which made the sad sounds. 

He would see the figure of his power standing between him and two looming entities in the distance, and betwixt still her protective stance was the Larvesta which shook with fright rather than exertion. Strewn carelessly across the ground in close proximity was a secured bag of essentials and equipment he remembered packing a day ago. The process of comprehending the situation which was unfolding before his eyes somehow overwrote the ferocity of his injuries, a miracle similar in nature to everything else about this consciousness. 

"Take my stuff and Larvesta and go!" Panne barked the order as soon as she noticed he had rose, but there was an undeniable relief to be found in her pitch. Vallion reached down and clutched the pack to his chest, yet hesitated still to leave the presence of his partner a second time today. The stickiness of the blood which coated his side became apparent along with the fleeting indecision that raged like a storm inside his muscles. 

Alexander moved forward to intercept the imminent attempt at escape, but even someone of his ability was cut off promptly by a desperate maelstrom of flame. "Please, you need to go! I can catch up later!" His chest shouted counterwise to not abandon the one he loved. It wouldn't be until her final cracking demand that reason overcame sentimentality for but the slightest moment. "GO!" 

He tapped the Larvesta and rushed away from the scene as quickly as his exhausted body could carry him, everything blurring as they recklessly charged down river with no direction. Briefly he caught sight of how more pokemon had gathered around the battlefield. They jeered and shouted towards them, but none were quick enough to catch them if they did try. All of his previous inhibitions and injuries melted away from the burning directive in his brain and legs: Run. Every ounce of adrenaline left over in his blood that hadn't already leaked from his side was repurposed to blast wind beneath his wings. 

They made a wild turn and crashed into a wall of brush, but the density of their new path did nothing to slow the sheer instinct to flee. Inky blackness was tinged with green from the dulling sunlight that peered through the treetops, but every other detail was lost to speed. Vallion had not been fortunate enough to similarly disregard the fact that all parts of him hurt. Every narrowly-recovered stumbling from a topside root, every scraping twig or thorn which devastated his already ruined skin; he felt it all; yet none of it managed to affect his sprint. Larvesta managed to stay close despite the unceasing velocity which propelled him. It all the more reason to keep going. They only had to get away for long enough for the teasing horizon to darken entirely and allow the night to cover their tracks. 

While all thoughts which passed through his skull were transient and weak, a primal war was being waged over the will to continue and the promise of rest upon giving in. The only fume which fueled the former was the last thing he heard Panne scream, echoing back and forth in his ears like a siren. He wasn't sure anymore if the spots in his vision were being caused by the last light penetrating the canopy. Something about his movement seemed more systematic than was usual; make the jump, dodge the tree, climb the hill, make the jump... 

It was near an overhanging bunch of ivy that his body finally decided that enough was enough. They would be hidden decently enough from underneath, and it was probably vital that he treat his wounds post haste. Too late did he realize what a monumental mistake this was. As soon as he stopped moving, gravity felt as though it had been magnified fifty times and pulled him to the earth. It became impossible to even twitch a muscle, much less sit up and absorb the situation. All that he could gather from the ground was that Larvesta collapsed in a similar fashion nearby and that he still clutched Panne's bag to his chest. That was good, things were still fine if both of those were true. 

The most unwelcome thought dawned on Vallion during this brief paralyzed respite where thinking could finally occur. He had left Panne alone with not just the Serperior who handily brutalized him, but a Chesnaught who was still standing just fine and a crowd of angry onlookers. How was she supposed to get away from them alone? Was it possible that she expended the last of her power to hold them off while he and the Larvesta made their escape, would she even be able to get away if she had any juice left? How intensely he had hoped then that her promise was not fabricated only to convince him to run. 

"Uh, mister?" he suddenly recalled the Larvesta's presence from the timid voice. Vallion tried to tilt his head to look at her, but the resulting pop recommended against furthering the attempt. "You came to rescue me too, right?" 

He tried to chuckle, but what emerged instead was a morbid cough. "Well, that was the plan. We didn't really account for the whole new monarchy thing, it was just kind of assumed that you were lost somewhere in the area. Turns out it's a bad idea to take on a king that overthrew the strongest pokemon in the area like they were made of paper," his voice was expectantly hoarse and pathetic. 

"Do you know where my parents are?" she asked. There was a pause, and Vallion internally let loose an excessively long string of profanities. That wasn't a part of the huge information bank which was garnered today, even if it was planned to be. All he could assume was that there were two Volcarona somewhere on the outskirts of this forest. That gave him too many miles to work with, and all the while he could barely blink an eye if his life depended on it. Though at this point that might just be the case. 

With a grunt he tried to sit up, only to be overcome with an immediate and severe rush of nausea. He barely had time to turn away before lurching while his innards became undone and traveled up his throat. The taste of bile and blood engulfed every inch of his tongue, all he could do was lean against the dirt wall and allow suffering to take place. Tears streamed down his face by the time there wasn't any energy left to continue retching. He spit the remaining residue onto the soiled ground and took in a few quivering breaths. "I have no clue... about your parents." 

It wasn’t exactly graceful, but at least he managed to regain motor control and get halfway up. Lightheaded and bruised was as good a state as ever to dress injuries before infection and blood loss set in. In particular the two gashes on his side bled immodestly and showed no signs of slowing. As he reached for Panne's supplies, an acute pang resonated from within his torso and spread outward like heat. There was no such way to treat these damn broken bones while in the middle of the wilderness. His dismembered vines will be fine on their own, but it will take at least a week for them to regrow to a usable degree. 

From the pack he utilized a half-filled canteen of water and a roll of gauze. First he would take a begrudging swig of the lukewarm water just to assist his desolate throat, then poured the rest over the two parallel wounds in an attempt to wash out blood and foreign debris. It was an excruciating process, and he hadn't even touched them yet. His feelings of apprehension were more than confirmed as he began tightly wrapping his torso with the cotton bandages and cringing the whole time. A few more tears would roll down his face as he bit off a strip from the entire roll and secured the injury. That should do for a few hours, at least. 

Now that he wasn't in danger of bleeding out in the middle of nowhere, Vallion took the time to finish what he was doing earlier and gently laid back down for the pain to simmer a while. From here, he could tell that the sky had nearly completed its transition from illustrious gradients to the deep blue void of dusk. It was very unlikely that they'd be tracked down now, though definitely not impossible considering how much blood he probably left in his wake and how much noise they made getting here. He was completely helpless if someone did end up finding them as well. If they had a streak of feral mercilessness anywhere inside of them, his sorry state probably warranted being finished off as well. The more he thought about it, the less comfortable he felt resting here with his back to the ground. 

But what else could he do in this condition? If the mere motion of sitting up caused him to vomit, then there wasn't much hope for his ability to walk over five feet, much less actively traverse a woods probably crawling with pokemon out to find them. Every minute he spent gathering a pathetic amount of strength, the residual light of day faded more and more to darkness. But how could it be helped? He could call the Society, but the only people who weren't in the Mist continent would be forced to take the same path here as he and Panne did. All these complex solutions and Vallion was still forced to lay still and wait. 

Going out and searching for Larvesta's parents wouldn't be an optimal choice, either. If they weren't being hunted already, then alerting one of the scouts watching the treeline or stumbling into a search party were perhaps just as dangerous. There weren't very many ways he could think of that they would come out on top of this, and he was wracking his brain looking for the answer since it was the most functional part of his body at the moment. If he expunged the doubts that Panne didn't get away, hoping that she would somehow find them before anyone else was just as far-flung a fantasy. 

... And speak of the devil. The distant sound of wings overhead sent shivers down his spine. Had a forward surveyor already found out where they were hiding? Surely they haven't been resting here for long enough to be discovered with this superb natural camouflage. Larvesta, being the most mobile of the two, stuck her head out from underneath their cover and peered past the trees to determine what flew above. Several seconds passed as she strained her vision to see through the descending night, until finally she gasped. "Fearow, Fearow! Down here!" 

"Dear lord, girl! Keep your voice down!" Vallion rasped, shifting lethargically from his position. "You're going to alert the whole damn forest if you keep screaming like that. There's no telling how many of the king's scouts are out here!" 

"But I know that guy! He can help us!" she protested. Before Vallion could tell her to make absolutely certain she wasn't mistaken, Larvesta had already turned back to the dark skies and shouted their location to the heavens. Sure enough, the sound of feathers and flapping began to draw closer in response. All he could do was pray silently that this Fearow was the same one she knew from before, dread mounting on his shoulders almost as much as fatigue. 

The winged figure descended carefully between the complex layer of leaves and looked to follow Larvesta's calls even further from within the woods. She saw this and shot out fron beneath the overhang without a second thought, causing him to curse beneath his breath. Vallion moaned from the ache as he struggled to get to his feet, indirectly assuring that there were more than one or two cracked ribs inside his torso. It was a good sign at least that the talking which came from outside was cheerful rather than regretful. 

"Larvesta, is that really you?" a masculine voice emerged as he stumbled from the shelter of ivy. The flying type which finally landed craned their head to examine her. "What happened to the Serperior? How did you get away?" their questions ceased as they noticed Vallion slowly coming forth, using every bit of passing scenery as support for his laborious pace. "Good god, what happened to you?" 

He didn't even have time answer before the Larvesta introduced him first. "He and a Fennekin are the ones who saved me! They're from the Exploration Society, but they weren't good enough to beat the Serperior. We had to run all the way here just to get away," it was plain just by the pitch that her mood drastically improved upon catching sight of this pokemon she was familiar with. After hiding from the world in a hole with a half-dead Snivy and being caged up for several days, seeing a friendly face was probably all she needed. 

"Is that so?" the Fearow said as he turned to get a better look at Vallion in this lack of light. "I must sincerely thank you for rescuing Larvesta, but I must ask, where's the Fennekin you came with?" 

A wave of grief rose in his already hurting chest. He explained while biting back the feeling. "We didn't beat the king, not even close. She was forced to stay behind and face both him and his right hand to ensure a slight chance at escape. Right now she's either captured, lost, or worse." 

"Oh," was all Fearow decided to utter on the matter. He thought it wiser to turn back to his friend and steer away from the sensitive topic. "Anyway, we need to get you two out of here. I came by to see what was up with that commotion by the river, but I never would have thought it was about you. It was too late to see the battle by the time I arrived, so I just thought it was another incursion and decided to leave. The encampment isn't too far from here if we hurry." 

Larvesta hummed inquisitively at the latter sentence, to which the Fearow realized that neither of them would know what he was talking about. "Right, right. I get that you've been out of the loop for quite a while since you were kidnapped. So the Poliwrath took everyone who wanted to fight against this new leader and brought them together in one place over by the mountains. Your parents are there, along with most of the others. I, um. I think it'd be easiest if you just rode on my back while I flew you to them." 

Even in the dusk, it was visible how much her eyes lit up at the prospect. "Really!? But every other time I asked you said no, and I made sure to ask a lot!" 

"Well, these aren't normal circumstances," answered the flying type, who looked next towards Vallion. "And I'm fairly certain your friend from the Society can barely walk at this point. It would really be best if I got you all to the camp as soon as possible. 

Vallion graciously thanked him and crawled backwards for a moment to gather up Panne's bag from their hiding place. Fearow knelt as low as possible so that they would have an easier time getting on, though it didn't help much in his case. Eventually he managed to find a sliver enough of strength to climb all the way onto their back and winced the whole way through. Once aboard, he prepared by flattening himself as best he can with supplies dearly held to his chest. It wouldn't be long he would generally ignore the safety of that bag and instead latch on for his own dear life. 

Each lurching motion of take-off caused his recently quelled nausea to resurface with a vengeance. It was merely fear which kept his stomach in check as he was tossed about, all the while Larvesta laughed and screamed in sheer joy higher up the Fearow's back. Vallion didn't dare to open his eyes as the wind grazed against his skin and threatened to assist in his instability. It hadn't even occurred to him that how hard he grabbed at bunches of feathers to steady himself would possibly be uncomfortable to the pokemon he was riding. In fact, not many things occurred to him other than the fact that there were no vines he could use to catch himself should gravity gain an advantage over him. It felt as if the sickening movement would never come to an end. 

Gradually, the shakiness began to fall away as it felt like a proper glide had been achieved. At first Vallion had merely the courage to peek from a single eye, but found the resulting view too spectacular to resist not fully gazing upon. His vision was filled with a thousand treetops lit gently by the caress of moonlight. The sky they flew towards had been entirely encompassed by the massive formations of rock which split the continent in two, whose widening caps of ice glowed silver against the black and blue. It had been too long since the last time he saw something quite as magnificent as this. There was not a grounded pokemon on the planet who did not at least once dream of soaring the skies in such a way. 

Larvesta seemed to express this desire far more than he did while they drifted through the air. Her eyes, too, danced over the landscape like an artist formulating their most wondrous painting yet. From the enthusiasm she held previously to the hypnotic trance she was in now, it was clear how fascinated she was with flight. With good reason, considering she wouldn't be able to experience such a feeling of freedom for herself until evolution beckoned. Her curiosity was endearing to say the least, and a good distraction from the tension which was accumulating within and strangling his insides. 

Most of the grandeur fell away after Vallion decided for but a moment to look over the side at the passing forest. A gasp caught in his throat as vertigo kicked in, he returned swiftly to clutching feathers too tightly and staring at the Fearow's back. Perhaps it would be better if he waited until he wasn't one slip away from death to fulfill that old fantasy. It wasn't too long until their steady descent began, a meticulous spiral flight pattern downward as to not throw off any precious passengers. Still, the deliberate and slow motion didn't do much for the composure of his insides. 

The landing would be just as jarring as the ascent, but at the very least it would be over with a thud rather than half a minute of turbulence. As Vallion slid from the Fearow's back second to the Larvesta, voices both distant and loquacious chattered away. A single fire in the middle of this clearing lit the way for a disproportionately large gathering of pokemon. To the back of the area rose a craggy face of clay and dirt rather than a wall of trees and vegetation, and among the ledges which lined it were the temporary nests of many a smaller flying type. Most signs pointed to this being a central point and meeting place for the forces opposing Alexander. 

Soon the sullen bickering that flit about the atmosphere transitioned into surprise and curiosity as more began to notice Larvesta's presence. Murmurs turned to shouts, and everyone began to turn heads and gather around the child with excitement and greetings. That is, until two Poliwrath emerged from the brush to examine the disturbance. They garnered enough respect and obedience that the crowd of pokemon seemed to break apart and make a path to the Larvesta. Upon witnessing what caused the ruckus, orders were immediately barked to the rest of the populace. People shifted about, movement began to take place, and a Whimsicott seemed to have been given the duty of escorting her back to her parents. The air of energy didn't cease even after she had already left the vicinity. 

It was by definition that their mission had been completed then and there. If Panne were here, they could have just rested up for the night and left the next morning for the Society. But she wasn't, and he wasn't quite finished with Poliwrath River. Vallion saw that the Poliwrath who were in charge of this camp had remained present and were locked in discussion. He took the opportunity to approach them with a revitalized passion in his heart, never mind the limp which plagued his movements to be sluggish and painful. 

"Excuse me," he interrupted them without a care. After having fought a human king and losing contact with Panne today, disrespecting authority was the least of his concerns. "Have any of your scouts reported back with sightings of a Fennekin recently? It's somewhat urgent." 

They didn't turn towards him with any visible anger, probably because their first sight was a pokemon who looked so damaged that it was astounding they could walk at all. "Hmm? No, I don't believe we've heard anything of someone like that around here. We also didn't hear of the Larvesta until they were already here, so don't count it impossible yet. What happened to you, anyway?" 

The taller one was next to speak. "You do look quite familiar past those nasty wounds. Have we met in the past?" Vallion sighed. Not because the Poliwrath didn't recognize him, but that the chances were so minimal of Panne's escape that, if she wasn't here already, then she didn't get away period. At the very least he could rightfully assume that she was still alive. Alexander wasn't the one to kill senselessly, otherwise he wouldn't be alive at this very moment to begin with. This case was also an especially sensitive one to the both of them. 

"Yeah," he finally got around to answering their question after brooding enough. "Panne and I used to live in Serene Village. We've been here on several different occasions, it's somewhat surprising that you wouldn't remember us." 

"It was likely a different Poliwrath each time, but continue," the shorter one responded. They also said that exact phrase each time they came, but who was he to judge their forgetfulness while watching over an entire forest of pokemon. It wasn't as if he had the ability to protect even the one that mattered most. 

"Anyway, we traveled from the Exploration Society of Lively Town on a report that a Larvesta had gone missing in these parts. It was our mission to discover and rescue this pokemon, but nobody out east had any idea of this territorial dispute taking place. We met with the Serperior and his right hand upon arrival, but eventually found that the pokemon we were looking for was being held captive." 

The taller Poliwrath nodded respectfully and crossed their arms. "And you achieved your goal in a timely fashion. Now that the Volcarona have their child back, we will finally be able to quell this pretender and anyone foolish enough to fall for their tricks. Our strength has nearly doubled in just the last few minutes alone, the false king doesn't stand a chance." 

Vallion cut in before they could get carried away in some comprehensive speech about rightful power. "Now hold on just a minute. I keep hearing about this attack that everyone says is going to happen. What exactly are you planning to stage against this Serperior?" 

One of them leaned in suddenly, their face practically plastered with pride and defiance. Apparently he had hit the correct nerve. "It was our land that was stolen by this arrogant coward, and those who are intelligent enough to recognize the proper hierarchy will justly rebel. Our shared anger only multiplies with time as more and more are forced away from their homes. They come here to find strength in numbers, and soon our vengeance will be at hand." The other continued on after their counterpart had finished. "Why do you ask? Does the Society disagree with this sentiment and plan to stop us?" 

"No," his intentions and voice were as clear as his mind. "As I said, I came here with Panne on a rescue mission. If you couldn't tell from my wounds and lack of partner, we were forced to engage in combat with the Serperior and were easily defeated. She was captured to allow Larvesta and I time to escape, and since this afternoon there have been no signs of her. Actually, I was hoping to play a part in your crusade and join your next assault so that I might steal her back." 

They looked at each other in surprise from his answer, obviously not expecting such eagerness to assist from his kind. Finally their expressions would harden as they turned back to him, a serious tone overwrote their previous self-admiration. "The attack was originally postponed to wait for more reinforcements, but with the Volcarona on our side we have all the firepower we need. We will strike tonight, prior to dawn and before the pretender can gain word of our momentum and prepare. He has spies everywhere." 

"I'm not so certain you will be able to participate in this war, Snivy," the shorter one began. "Your injuries are far too grave to heal in time for the battle, and it seems you already know what we're up against in terms of might. Are you certain you'd engage the enemy with such a disposition?" 

It was a clever plan. No doubt Alexander would already be on high alert, but an immediate camisado might be the key to undermining his watchful eyes. "I have no combat potential on my own anymore, but if you could provide me with weapons and tools then I'd be a more than helpful addition to your forces. Wand, seeds, most things of the like should do. My experience in the Society should make me quite adept at using such means," Vallion explained. "And besides, I'd go even if I lost both of my eyes and arms. This is perhaps a fortunate state compared to how much further my perseverance goes." 

"Those are some powerful claims. Good, we need determination like that if we hope to succeed in earning back our home," the taller Poliwrath said, nodding in the dull light of the fire. "We'll see what we can do about getting you those tools, considering it's believable you would utilize them better than we. But, in return, you must give us the information we seek regarding the Serperior." 

The shorter Poliwrath was good at picking up from where the last one left off. "Yes. It is clear to us that you've done battle with him and have observed some of his supernatural advantages. We mainly wish to know if you have anything to add about the gems he wears around his neck, as they have provided an extremely dangerous edge in our past skirmishes." 

"His emeras?" Vallion hushed and pondered for a moment, trying to recognize any other abilities which he didn't witness firsthand during his fight with Alexander. "The first is Barrage, allowing him to strike twice with the same attack. Another is Type Bulldozer, which I have felt the sting of firsthand, but I was defeated too quickly to discern anything further..." 

Something clicked, the dots joined to a flurry of details which at first seemed innocent. "Clairvoyance. The green emera on his necklace is Clairvoyance. He is able to see short leaps into the future and can plan accordingly so." He didn't know how such a thing had slipped by his perception for so long, it was somewhat obvious whenever the emera came into effect. Alexander's indifference and staring off into the distance wasn't the visage of contemplation as it seemed, but rather brief visions of coming events. Vallion had even been personally familiar with the power and still expressed so much difficulty realizing this until now. 

"Does this mean he will be able to see our attack before we move out, even if it takes place at such an unnatural hour?" One of the Poliwrath questioned intuitively. 

"No. If anything, he'll catch a vision of your forces while it's already too late to gather up his own. Though I wouldn't get caught deep enough in arrogance to think that he isn't already anticipating this exact type of offensive. Don't believe that you've caught him off guard, because it's more likely than not we will be met with resistance of equal kind." 

The two water types bowed then. "Thank you, we are gracious for the Society's support in this endeavor. Once we are finished spreading the news of our plans, we'll be sure to gather up a decent supply of weaponry for your usage. Until just before the dawn, you are dismissed to do what you please around our camp." 

He had already taken enough of their time. Vallion returned the notion and allowed them to get back to their immensely busy schedules. It was apparent that he had regained the strength to walk again as he wandered towards a far treeline with no particular direction. That was an important step, one that gave him hope for his recovery, however brief it may be. It was a matter of mere hours that he must regain enough physical ability to fight again. 

There was too much activity going on around for him to feel particularly comfortable, his head had already begun to ache along with the rest of him. It didn't matter if he was unfamiliar with the immediate area, most places were more suitable than a bustling militaristic encampment on the eve of a battle. Somewhere close in the outskirts of the woods held a promise of the solitude he so desired. Scarcely ever would Vallion feel the will to isolate himself, but this was a special case that he made didn't want to think too much on. 

Stumbling about blindly in a dark thicket didn't seem all too bad once the chittering masses began to fall away into the distance. Not too far in his search, an elevated portion of ground was eerily revealed by beams of moonlight uninhibited by densely packed branches. It was as good a place as ever with how faintly the sounds of preparation echoed, but most of the jurisdiction fell on the impulse to rest his agonized body as soon as possible. He cared not to climb up the insignificantly small ledge and preferred to walk all the way around and up a miniature slope. It felt like his legs were thanking him as he slowly lowered to the ground and relinquished his weight. 

A sigh escaped from the deepest parts of his lungs at the sheer relief he felt upon laying his head to the grass. It was a lazy process to undo the pack which he had secured to his torso, what would normally take several seconds with intent lasted several minutes and consisted mostly of apathetic fiddling and failed attempts. What mattered was that he eventually did manage to undo the strap and push the bag aside. There was little thought, as it wouldn't take much to push him over the edge of uninvited loneliness. He'd have preferred to wallow in his own physical suffering for as long as possible. 

But even his whining muscles and bruises wouldn't be able to keep his mind at bay forever. There wasn't a single doubt that an incessant gnawing grief wouldn't come knocking at his door eventually, and it would invite itself in regardless of how much his side screamed in protest. It would be even more insane to believe for a second that he was going to find any semblance of sleep tonight. Not that he wanted to, the next barrage of excitement was too soon anyway. He'd probably just end up being sleepier in the morning if he tried spent the next few hours with eyes closed. 

Today had been too damn long, that was his problem. It had been twenty four hours ago that Panne crawled over to his bed and pulled him into her arms. Frankly, that alone was enough to make his week. Everything in between was just over-stimuli stacked on top of injury and rash decisions. He had barely even managed to meet Alexander before turning against him, and there were pieces of the puzzle which eluded him still despite having made such a powerful choice. Today was just a needlessly gruesome series of events. 

All too soon had the grim reality began to set in. The way Panne shouted for him to escape bounced uneasily in his ears even now. Vallion began to worry, and nothing of the simple paranoid sort either. Anxiety bubbled in his chest where pain should have been, and it constantly would dwell on the knowledge that she wasn't beside him. It was more than likely she was taken somewhere completely unknown, probably pretty wounded with how hard she resisted. He knew the same heartache inside him mutually manifested all those miles away, lined with fear and soaked in hopelessness. Panne didn't even know whether he had successfully gotten away or if he succumbed to his wounds in the middle of the wilderness. For all she knew, he could have been dead already. 

Any other pain would have felt fine, anything other than this. A lost limb might have even been an acceptable alternative to this torment. At the very least he wouldn't have needed it once fully evolved and matured. But this, he hadn't even had the opportunity to confess his love before fate tore them apart again. As much as he would have liked to feel that revitalized and burning passion to rescue her, all that would rise were tears that welled up in his eyes. Alexander was far from the evil emperor whom had stolen his princess and brought disparity to the land. It was closer to a sad story about a friendship which failed to take hold over the grievous circumstances at hand. Above, the moon blurred away from how cloudy his eyes had become, and Vallion had concluded that this was going to be a long night.


	5. Heartstrings Drawn, Malice Notched

Part 1: Heartstrings Drawn

 

Nothing could stop the waxing moon from threatening to plunge him into darkness as the silver glow it exuded crept ever closer to falling entirely behind the trees. This movement was more than just a shifting of details and shadows, it was a countdown. With every blade of grass which was freshly touched by moonlight for the first time tonight, another moment had slipped away while waiting anxiously for the inevitable. He had only wished for a way to either slow down or expedite the excruciating process. There was no comfort in this intermediate pace where time seemed to travel just to tease and spite him. 

He had already exhausted every acceptable form of procrastination which he could think of, everything but the last dreadful task that patiently waited by his side in the form of a Society gadget. A fresh slew of bandages had already been applied to his torso and brought forth an irritating ache from their tightness. His previously desolate throat and mouth had already been relatively rejuvenated by trudging back and forth from a nearby pond. There wasn't even any pitiful tears left to cry due to the incessant passage of time running his eyes dry and his mind complacent. With a preparatory sigh, Vallion reached over and snatched up the device without hope of postponing the call any further. 

All that remained of his hesitation was a brief pause to stare at the Connection Orb situated snugly within. He begrudgingly began the process to summon Dedenne's attention, though it would still take a good while to get through at this hour. Luckily, he lacked the emotional capacity to feel remorse or guilt from disturbing her so late into the night. After all, this emergency was exactly the kind of thing he was meant to report as soon as possible. That was the reason why they had been given these tools in the first place. 

There was a crackling as the line finally made contact with its host. What would first answer him was not a curious voice, but a lengthy yawn which described well the time of day. "Hm, Panne? What are you doing calling at such an absurd hour? Is something wrong, or are you just messing with me again?" her groggy pitch echoed the fact that she had been asleep not ten seconds ago. 

"Not Panne, Vallion," he answered as the sound of his own voice bounced from the landscape surrounding him. There was to be no skirting around his purpose this time. "Who are all left over from the expedition in the Mist continent? It's stupidly important to note how quickly they'd be able to get to Poliwrath River from Lively Town." It was never in his best interests surrender and call for help, but this was indeed a dire situation for both him and this region. 

"Vallion? What are you doing with Panne's gadget?" there was a pause, most likely to fully parse his question while operating in a rather inebriated and drowsy state. "Uh, lemme think for a second. Ampharos and I are still obviously here, and Jirachi had a bunch of work to do anyway. Mawile locked herself in her room as usual, so that makes four so far. You'd think Swirlix would be around considering her position, but none of us honestly know where she recently ran off to. The point is that she isn't here. We'd all have pretty much the same speed as anyone else if we traveled there, what's with the hyper-specific question?" 

Damn, that was generally the combination of people he expected yet still hoped against. Everything could have been made so much easier if Archen hadn't been called away along with the others. "Alright," he began with a hardy breath. "I need all available members to prepare for immediate departure to Poliwrath River, this isn't a drill, yadda yadda. This is seriously an emergency, so don't skimp out or take a no when I say 'all' members." 

"Woah! Hold on a minute there! Just what in the world is going on over there that would need you to call us in the middle of the night with Panne's gadget and order a full deployment?" Dedenne seemed to be a lot more lively after that shock, which was a good thing. She was going to need every ounce of that energy to convince everyone else to get out of bed and march across the continent on such a short notice. 

"A huge showdown is about to happen between over half the region and there was only so much Panne and I could do about it. There's a big territorial dispute that's about to turn a lot bloodier than it should be, everyone's practically clamouring for the other's throats already. By morning there will be a full-scale battle and there's not much to stop it, considering Panne's already been captured by one of the sides and I've been brutalized to the point of uselessness." He actively felt the holes in his explanation that were better left unspoken, things like Alexander's identity were allowed to slip away. They probably didn't matter enough to vocalize during a formal request anyway. 

For a brief moment there was only silence hanging on the line. No doubt it must have been troublesome to absorb this vicious flurry of information at such an inopportune hour. "...What do you need, then? Is the Larvesta you were sent to rescue safe from this altercation, or is that part of the emergency?" 

"Our mission was completed. Though, I've already told you of the more grave consequences from carrying out the task. I don't think we should really worry about children getting caught up in this dispute anymore. It's the ruthlessness that's going to take place in a few hours that I'm concerned about. Both sides aren't going to take the other lightly, and there's most definitely going to be some nasty amounts of bloodshed. You guys should primarily be bringing medical supplies for the aftermath, considering you're going to be arriving late regardless of how quickly you move. We'll start tending to the wounded after you arrive and find us." 

"And what about you and Panne?" the connection hiccuped slightly as Dedenne pressed further. "What are you going to do if you're too injured to protect yourself? Do you even know where Panne is being held, or if she's safe while all of this unfolds? What even happened for you two to get into a mess this big? It's not usually this bad, but your work seems to be cut out for you this time around." 

Vallion cracked a slight smile for nobody to see, probably to just reassure himself more than anything. "We'll be fine, don't waste any energy worrying about us. Just focus on rousing everyone up to a coherent point and getting those supplies together. We need you here as soon as possible to help clean up this mess." Yeah, the attempt to convince himself that the future was bright ended just as terribly as he expected. No amount of forced optimism could disguise the foreboding which mounted on his chest, and that went double for the nagging pain still too dull to provide even a decent distraction. 

A disconcerted noise came from the gadget, but Dedenne eventually surrendered all the same. "Alright, fine. We'll be there at earliest tomorrow afternoon, but I wouldn't count on it to be honest. See what you can do before then about the conflict. Also, try not to get yourself or Panne killed in the meantime. You've been living on the razor's edge a little too much from being given a simple local rescue mission." It was with a fizzle through the device that her timely exit was made and silence once again took rule over the atmosphere. 

He set the gadget to his side as it was before and let loose a brazen sigh. There, it was done. That only left patiently sitting and simmering in his own dread to fill the remaining hours before he would march off to battle like a true soldier. As much as the strand of pride within him hated having to resort to calling for help, this situation was probably beyond him even at his fullest strength and with Panne at his side. It was additionally worth mentioning just because of how momentous the event was despite the ignorance of the eastern Water continent. Things this critical don't happen every other week around here, it would take three blue moons for unrest to grow this virulently whereas Alexander completely stirred up the hive in just a few days. 

Nearby was suddenly a rustling of leaves, the still of a windless night had been disturbed by something unnatural. Vallion quickly got to scanning the darkness for the source, knowing fully well the hopelessness of doing so with his inferior vision. There was no immediate cause for alarm considering how closely this remote spot bordered to the encampment of the resistance. As could be expected, nothing came about from the brief search and a hush fell once again about the forest. Maybe it was merely a happening of imagination or chance after all? 

"Uhm." Or so he had thought, proven wrong by the timid muttering which came from his flank. A figure stepped into the dull light, their identity justified immediately the relaxation of his nerves. Larvesta crawled out slowly from beneath the brush rather than some nightmarish entity or malicious intruder and approached with a degree of shy wariness. "Uh, hi." 

"Oh. Hello?" his brooding fell away in her presence, it was useless to try and continue while with company. They had almost seemed too intimidated to draw any closer, but she advanced meekly regardless of his apparent menacing aura. Had his visible condition really degraded so far? He was better off now than a few hours ago, but perhaps he had not realized how grotesque his appearance had become despite the fading pain? "How long have you been standing there?" he said, breaking fully the spell of wonderment which lingered from his solitude. 

Larvesta's inching crawl stopped at the base of the elevated little section of land he chose to sit upon. "Not long. I don't know," she muttered, looking away to search for an easier way up. Vallion noticed upon closer inspection that there was a parcel being dragged along the grass by one of her legs. It became more obvious as she made the first attempt attempt at climbing up the slope in the steepest possible point. The bag knocked into everything it could before the crumbling dirt carried her down again. 

"What's that you got there?" he said while Larvesta scrambled up the slope and managed to actually make it over the ledge. Despite the accomplishment, she was still having trouble dragging the parcel up with her. Vallion motioned to assist, but an unexpected surge of strength allowed her to complete the action and bring upturned grass and roots with it. 

She pushed the bag to his side using her head, which seemed much easier than having to drag it around the forest floor with a tiny limb. "The Poliwrath said they were going to give you tools, but were too busy to do it themselves, so they let me do it cuz I wanted to help. I didn't think you'd be in the middle of nowhere, though." 

It wasn't immediately necessary to check exactly what was inside the package, he already had a general idea anyway. At the very least it could give him something to do later when boredom and trepidation start to manifest more severely while staring blankly at the stars. Vallion thanked her graciously for having delivered the tools and turned away to gaze a cluster of shadows. However, he did not hear Larvesta make her exit in the following moments. The next time he looked back, she was mimicking the directionless stare toward nothing. 

An inquisitive murmur seemed to catch her attention for a moment, but she looked away shortly after as if finding it difficult to answer him. Larvesta just kept on sitting there and avoiding his declarations of presence. Not quite ignoring, she always did somewhat acknowledge them with a glance and whatnot, but definitely refused to give a definitive answer. It was naturally impossible for him to read her expression and easily tell what was going on in that head of hers. She had a face too foreign for his species to discern much expression anyway, such was the unchanging chasm between most types of pokemon. 

"What are you doing out here all alone? This is really far from the camp, it took a long time to find you," she finally spoke up. 

"Ah. Well, that's just because I..." Wanted to be alone? No, that was hardly the case, possibly the exact opposite considering the reason he was waiting to begin with. Even this small company that Larvesta offered felt better than to wallow in the same dull agony that tonight seemed to be encompassed by. "... I just wanted some peace and quiet I suppose. That's all." 

"But you've been out here for hours. I haven't even seen you since we got off of Fearow, and I was looking pretty hard. It's not a normal thing to sit alone in the woods for so long," she said in response to his excuse. It was his turn to hold a silence while an explanation eluded his tongue. "I know," was the best thing he could come up with, a seemingly meaningless phrase that felt better than touching upon the storm in his mind. Why would he impart such complexities that not even he could address onto a child? 

As much as he expected the Larvesta the give up and leave due to his stubborn withdrawal, she did not. Instead she chose to stun him and chase those complexities with frightening accuracy. "Are you sad about your Fennekin partner?" A breath caught in his throat at the question. Was it that obvious? She was indeed present to witness their battle and retreat, and he supposed that might have been enough to garner their bond, but it was still incredibly surprising. A bittersweet grin crept onto his face from the Larvesta's empathy. If he were this easy to read, Panne would have already noticed his indefatigable affection long before he knew it. 

There was no benefit in hiding it. "Yeah," he finally replied to her curiosity, his melancholy voice just loud enough to be audible. It was strange to think that even the most abstract of thought process could be understood by the youth just from the general emotion which painted it. He could say a hundred thousand words regarding his relationship with Panne, his situation, and everything in-between that lined the fringes of his thoughts; all that he needed to say was that he was crestfallen. 

"Hm... I think she'll be fine," Larvesta said with a stern edge to her voice. "She took out the guard and broke me out of my cell super easily. I'm pretty sure she could just break out of her own and run all the way here. Maybe she even beat that Serperior when we started running away, but got lost on the way here?" 

Vallion gave a weak little chuckle. "Maybe. I've certainly seen her do more outrageous and less believable things in the past. It's most of what she does to be fair." There was an extremely minimal chance that, somehow, Alexander ended up underestimating Panne. Saying so just left a sour taste in his mouth like a lie, it was doubtful she was even able to put up a fight after he left. And yet, that pathetic possibility and his inference seemed to captivate Larvesta more than anything. 

"Really?" her eyes widened in the dimness of the moon. "What kind of things?" 

"Uh, well..." Vallion paused to try and weave a relevant tale from his surprisingly large list. The topic quickly managed to pulled his thoughts from the spiraling gloom to better times. Perhaps it would be best for him to get a little further involved with this? Finally, a decent story from several months ago came to the forefront and played out again in the back of his head. "Once, our mission took us murky depths of an undersea cavern, half-flooded with water and vicious pokemon alike. To Panne, every corner could have been a potential deathtrap. It was pretty obvious that no fire types were ever meant to step foot in such a place. That meant the job was primarily mine to keep us both safe and sound. 

"But circumstances wouldn't have it so in the end. An accident would ultimately split us up as a soft sedimentary wall cracked open and allowed a torrent of saltwater through. We both ended up choosing different directions to run, and all of a sudden there was a thousand gallons of water and stone between us. Panne wouldn't last five minutes alone with the way we've been carrying on, so it was time she took a stealthy approach to the caverns. We absolutely had to find one another as quickly as possible, lest something terrible happens when her cover is finally blown. 

"Her strategy definitely proved effective for quite a long while. Of course, it was always one of her worst habits to get into trouble at the worst times. Eventually she would somehow find a way to trip and fall several feet into a shadowy pit filled to her neck with water. By the time she was done splashing about and getting her bearings, it became increasingly apparent that she wasn't the only one down there. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the place was teeming to the brim with vicious indigenous water types." 

Larvesta continued to stare on, fiercely honing in on his story with an expression he could only compare to bewilderment. There was no stopping this tale now that it had begun. "Needless to say, this was the beginning of a terrible confrontation. All her splashing about had alerted everything in the room, and none were too keen on being disturbed by an intruder with such gall. It would be seconds until they became restless and charged forward to tear her apart. And they would have succeeded, should she not have been as clever as she were. A warp seed she pulled from her pack as swift as the wind, and moments before disaster she bit down as hard as she could. 

"For a brief moment, she had thought the escape tactic had worked. Her sigh of relief was well-timed as she turned around and realized she had merely teleported to the other side of the room. Despite the confusion, the water types were as furious as ever, and she had only bought a few second's time before they all turned around and noticed her continued presence. There weren't even any immediate exits or places to hide that she could see, a horrid despair filled the air. Panne took the only option that was available which would ensure her survival." 

He stopped intentionally with the purpose of creating dramatic tension. Panne was always the one who would tell the stories, but Vallion liked to think that he had at least picked up a few tricks. It seemed to be true after all with the way Larvesta leaned in, though that might have been due primarily to her youth making everything more exciting than it was. "What'd she do? Did she swim beneath all their legs, or dive into a hidden pool of water? Did she turn around and fight them all?" 

Vallion gave a chuckle. "Nothing so dull like running or hiding could ever truly display her level of audacity. No, she stood her ground while neck-deep in ocean water and prepared to fight her way through a whole pit of pokemon at such a blaring disadvantage. It was due to the spectacular display of orange flashing flames and steam explosions that I could detect the battle taking place from two chambers away. By the time I had found the slope where she had fell in, there was less than half the original creatures still actively attacking, and those who remained were held off with astonishing skill. I'm fairly certain she would have finished the rest of the battle just fine even if I hadn't arrived when I did." 

"Wooow, seriously?" it was surprising that wonderment actually fell from Larvesta's voice. After all that, Vallion realized quite well he wasn't all that at storytelling. "I can't imagine even seeing a couple of those and not running away, but a whole room of monsters? That's so cool! Was it the fire that made the water steam, or was it the water pokemon making it? Oooh, oh oh, what if she let herself get captured so that she could take down the Serperior's stuff from the inside like a spy?" 

He smiled at her enthusiasm, but couldn't quite disguise the wistfulness which crept to the edges of his face. "It's certainly possible, but I wouldn't put much money on it. Nobody's invincible, and usually those kinds of crazy things only happen when we're together. That's why I'm going to go fight with the Poliwrath tomorrow. If she isn't deep in some plot to undermine the kingdom, I have to go rescue her from the Serperior. They probably have a stronger cage this time around than the one you were kept in." 

"Are you like a knight saving a damsel?" Larvesta asked suddenly. It was a startling comparison for a child living so nearby a mystery dungeon to make, proving easily that the Volcarona were definitely not from around here. Having that kind of culture to pull from wasn't quite typical for those living this far into the wilds. 

"...Yeah, a little bit like that," Vallion murmured over his own thoughts. "Even the strongest and most dependable of us need help sometimes. Not always is luck on our side, and most of the time she's the one who ends up saving me, but I think this is one of those times where I'm the knight." 

A silence fell among the trees and descended between them. As far as he could tell, it was due to Larvesta quietly processing the finer details of his relationship with Panne. He and Panne weren't much older to be truthful, but they've been through eight hells worth of life experience in comparison. The most exciting part of this Larvesta's life so far was probably just the being captured and held away for a few days. With how many people they met, all the places they've seen, and everything they've done; it's imaginably quite difficult to wrap a head around that. He still found it impossible to be disingenuous to this kid despite that vast difference. 

When she spoke up again, her tone had greatly softened from the excitement which soaked it before. "Is that what you do in the Society? Travel the world with your best friend and go on adventures like this one? Panne is your best friend, right?" 

"Well, the point of the Exploration Society is to explore, but I suppose that's the gist of it. Though I'd say this mission turned out to be a little more dangerous than most. And maybe 'best friends' is a little too weak to describe us, but it's definitely not wrong." Perhaps he could have gone wording that last part differently, but something silly inside of him desperately wanted to confide in this Larvesta. Like there wasn't going to be a better time or place to do so before the battle. That was likely true at this point. 

"But you do missions like this sometimes, right? Or just stuff in general to help people?" she pressed. 

"As the only organization on the Water continent that could be seen as a rescue team, we have an obligation to pick up a lot of the slack that other continents don't have. But, we do take emergencies and requests on other landmasses if it's required of us to do so. Most of the time, though, our purpose is to create maps and charts for the sake of having the whole world at a glance." 

She looked away, towards the encompassing shadows and then up at the stars. "I want to do that someday. Not make maps of everything, but go around exploring the places I'm not supposed to. That's what I'm going to do once I evolve and get my wings. Maybe if I get strong enough, I'll be able to help people the same way you guys do. Except maybe not some of the scarier things like this." 

The conversation finally begun to have a lasting effect on his expression, slackening the remaining turmoil that was left in his eyes. "It's not all that easy. You'd have to be pretty strong to begin with in order to explore most of the more untamed areas of the world. Pretty smart, too." 

"It doesn't sound all that hard," she scoffed, unintentionally coming off as prudish. "And if it turns out to be, I just need to bring a friend like you did. We can watch each other's backs and makes things a lot easier than being alone. We could get away a lot easier because I'd be able to carry the both of us and fly away. We wouldn't even get lonely either, it's almost like cheating." 

Something warmed up inside of Vallion while witnessing his part in the humble beginnings of an adventurer. Startled but not deterred at the events of today, only perpetually gaining the will to wonder about what lies beyond. That same warmth quickly turned into a sour chill when he realized just how much it reminded him of Panne. "Do you have any idea where you think you'll go once that path opens up for you? Daydreaming about it is good and all, but there's no journey to take if you lack a destination to begin with. Why do you think the sun follows the moon every night?" 

Larvesta continued to gaze up at the sky in search of such a boundless answer. "I dunno. Maybe I'll go back to where I was born in the Sand continent. It was supposed to be a really dangerous place, so my parents would never let me go anywhere or see much. When I'm older and stronger, that's probably the first place I'd explore for real so that I could make up for lost time when I was just a little kid." 

Another quiet fell over them, understandably so since this discussion turned to be more introspective than anything. Contentedness seemed to linger in the air as the two blankly studied the stars in peaceful contemplation. One confessed the early stages of their aspirations and found determination from example, the other laid bare their heart aching from past misfortunate decisions and found comfort in their purpose. It was certainly better for Vallion than continuing to meditate on his own failings for the rest of the night. Tomorrow was a day he would mold into his own, setting aside regrets and ultimately preserving the source of his desire to go on. Tomorrow would be the day he admit his undying affections to Panne, lest a future situation arises where the opportunity once again slips away. 

"Oh!" As was usual, it was Larvesta who was greatest at breaking the forest's slumbering hush. "We talked about so much, I had forgotten I actually thought of a question to ask you while delivering that bag." 

"Hm?" Vallion tilted his head toward her. "And what would that be?" 

She sucked in a breath. "Why do you and your partner have names, but nobody else does? I've never met someone who called themselves anything but who they are before." 

The question caught him off-guard. It definitely wasn't something he had to answer often despite it typically being an oddity in most places. He had to take a moment to gather his thoughts before being able to answer in any such a legible way. "Uh, names are sometimes things people wear to show status or achievement. Arrogance is also a reason people make names for themselves, like if they want to seem more important than they really are. They're special for the most part though. 

"Panne made hers up when she was a lot younger, probably around your age now that I think of it. Since she was a bit of an outcast, I'd imagine her move was to embrace that and separate herself even further from others by making up a title. I wasn't there so I can't be certain, but it seemed like the whole village just caved in after a while and decided to call her by name. It didn't matter much what you called her since people usually only referred to her regarding the trouble she was getting in. 

"And it was mostly because of me showing up with my name that she decided to keep using hers. The reason I have mine is... it's complicated. I suppose you could say that Vallion is a moniker that I've borrowed from someone who lived a really long time ago. Sorry, that's about as simple as I'm going to get it without heading into some unnecessarily deep territory I only barely understand myself." 

Larvesta shook her head. "No, it kind of makes sense. Names can be like... things? Objects? They aren't used for what people are called like Snivy or Fennekin, but are kind of- OH!" 

"What? Did you get it?" Vallion said, having jumped slightly into the air from the exclamation. 

"No, I was supposed to be right back after giving you the tools! Oooh, my dad's going to get so mad that I disappeared right after getting back! I- I gotta go!" she shouted while jolting from her seat and down the slope. With a startling quickness, she darted off into the brush in the vague direction of where the camp was. "BYE!" the farewell bouncing off trees and was slightly muffled by the thick landscape. 

He called out his own farewell, but wasn't entire sure she ended up hearing him with how hasty her retreat was. Just like that, the absence of wind was made conspicuous once again with the knowledge that he was alone. The shuffling of leaves eventually settled into quiet as only his own musings were left to fill these shadowed woods. Larvesta was a promising kid with a bright future, and he could only hope that the choices he made were the correct ones for securing that. He'd hardly be any bit as inspirational if the weakness he expressed in recent times were set front and center for anyone to see. 

The throbbing ache which had disappeared from diverting his thoughts emerged slowly into the foreground and persisted without the comfort of distraction. At least he felt a little better than before, but it was still too much to bear if he were to strain his body in combat. Vallion recalled the sealed bag by his side which held the weaponry he would use to fight in a few hours, the last fragment of tooth and nail left. Perhaps it was a sound idea to occupy himself now with counting the arsenal? ...Nah, it was too early. He instead chose to fall backwards into the grass and focus his vision to the ever-inching moon. The bag wasn't going anywhere, it could wait. 

 

 

There was but a single torch to light the entire chamber. Mounted on a far wall, it cast a fluctuating glow which highlighted how jagged these sedimentary tunnels were with a thousand blinking shadows. Its heat faintly permeated about the otherwise chilling and stagnant air, but the stones below refused to accept the warmth and remained freezing to the touch. A dangerous amount of fumes would have likely accumulated from the flames by now if not for the slanted ceiling guiding it to the outside. To its opposite, a grid of reinforced timber made up a cell that cast a similar shape on the other wall, giving the impression of a cage. 

Past these bars and through the earthy browns and grays shined a streak of yellow in contrast. A Fennekin laid motionless on the dusty ground, their plush fur instead matted with filth and the crimson results of earlier that day. A few bandages were applied to ensure the creature's continued survival for a time, albeit an emphasis on the word 'few'. Medical supplies were very soon going to become scarce and incredibly valuable if the inevitable were to obey its own nature. Sensing the arrival of someone to their prison, the Fennekin trembled as they pushed themselves up to a sitting position and turned to identify the guest. A countenance of slow-burning despair turned to contempt at the sight of who stood across the barrier of wood. 

"I've brought food," was all Alexander said as he angled the bowl wrapped with his vines between the timber and set it upright onto the floor. Panne glanced toward the meal, looked back with the same face of disdain, and crawled over to the bowl. She carefully examined the seeds lining the inside with intense scrutiny, eventually coming to an obvious conclusion with a grunt. 

"These all have debilitating effects when consumed," she muttered with an edge to her voice. "You're trying to poison me, and you walk in and call it a meal." 

"Poison, no. I'm trying to sedate you. I can't have you be able to participate in the upcoming battle, so this is to ensure your cooperation," he sternly put. At this point, he was used to enforcing such negative circumstances on people and writing it off as precautionary. It seemed to come naturally when trying to achieve social order among those who would rather fight until their last breath to preserve a dead lifestyle. The ease at which he could inflict such a sentence onto this Fennekin disturbed him deeply. 

Panne spit into the dust and pushed the bowl away violently. "Does it look like I'm battle-ready? Is the big bad Fennekin which you've already smashed and broken going to threaten your glorious empire? Heh, with a diet of sleep and stun seeds, it's no wonder why the Larvesta was so adverse to your 'hospitality'. You might as well let me starve if you want me weakened so badly, or perhaps you should just incapacitate me even more." 

"It is merely insurance. I'm cutting it close enough as it is summing up my forces to match the numbers of the revolt, the last thing I need is a member of the Exploration Society calling commands or finding the strength to burn through my ranks." Alexander sighed. "Frankly, it's more of an insult for you to assume I would treat a child in this way then any vulgarities you could have shot in my direction." 

"Maybe you should have thought of that before kidnapping the Larvesta and holding them hostage to keep their parents at bay. The Society would agree that a conflict such as yours should be resolved in fairness, but how dirty do you have to be resort to that kind of thing?" Panne sneered, except there wasn't much conviction in her verbal lashings. Agitation and isolation seemed to sap the will from her breath, leaving only empty blows and reluctant hatred where burning enthusiasm was supposed to be. 

He knew to not try and argue with her. There wasn't any reasoning or excuse he could possible use to sway her from these accusations, even as her spirit hit rock bottom. "It would still be best if you ate something to keep your energy levels relatively stable. Those wounds won't heal any faster if you continue to shirk nutrients and rest in this stubborn manner." 

"I don't have to eat anything you give me," she defiantly assured him. "Even if I spend all my time in here without touching a single meal, Val will come soon enough to break me out of here before I end up starving. He'll bring the rest of the Society arrest you themselves for your long list of wrongdoings. You're pretty much surmount to an outlaw with all the crimes you've committed in your short time here, but you could still redeem yourself if you even tried a little to fix this." 

"Perhaps it does," Alexander surrendered. "Perhaps I really have gone too far in bringing structure to this land. But if I hesitate for but a second now, it could tear down everything I've worked up to and all the respect I've had to earn. None of the upheaval in this operation's wake would be worth anything after having given up and submit to your claims. I might not be able to repent, but it's fully in my sights to finish leaving a mark to better the world in exchange for my sins. That's a sacrifice I've always been willing to make." It was impulse for him to argue his place, and now he would have to await the spitting of poison. 

She indeed continued to stare daggers into him. "There is nothing you could do to make all this worth it, I assure you. You very nearly killed Val with complete awareness and intents, and you have the audacity to try and justify that to my face? I thought I made it clear that it's stupid you would even make the attempt, and yet you still keep coming back with the same excuses. You should probably be spending this time wisely and shoring up your defenses instead of trying to sell me your ideology. Or, you could, you know, actually give back this land so nobody else has to get hurt?" 

Alexander did not immediately answer, choosing instead to stare at his prisoner of war with a grave frown. "I knew exactly what I was doing when I fought Vallion. It was a matter of disarming and disabling him, I assure you that there was absolutely no intentions of murder in my strikes. Although, it's unlikely you're in the state of mind to take anything I say for truth." 

"Look at yourself, talking about the stubborn and unbending when you're more guilty of it than anyone else in this forest. What kind of righteous quest are you so high on that would possibly warrant stepping on the toes of all these innocent wild pokemon? 'Better the world', are you even listening to yourself? Something this close to a war shouldn't ever happen, I don't care what your dreams and aspirations have to say. Everything would be so much easier on everyone if you just let go of these obsessive visions and tried again anywhere else but here. Please, can you at least consider that for one second?" 

He had nothing more to say to her. The Serperior turned away from the bars and held an exasperated sigh deep within his lungs. As he started to slither away, Alexander found one last fragment of his thoughts to impart which might leave even the slightest impression. "If the making of your map of the world was rejected violently by as many as those who reject mine, what would you do? The answer is simple at first, I'm sure, but nothing as intricate as a dream can take such a vague answer for final." 

Past the torch, into the connecting cavern, consumed by the gnawing chill which came with the darkness. Panne stared on as if she could spur him away for good with the glare until finally returning to the dusty floor with a huff. In the resulting solitude, she would resume her silent sobs and found a fresh flow of warm tears building up behind her eyelids. 

 

 

 

Part 2: Malice Notched

 

The crowd had no rows, no positions, and barely the slightest signs of organization. A torrent of excited noise and radiating tension made up the atmosphere as dawn approached closer and closer. Nearly completely had the moon fallen from the sky as deep black awaited for the earliest tinge of sunlight, but it had not yet arrived. Darkness still ruled the land, forcing many fire types and otherwise luminescent pokemon to provide visibility for the rest of them. They were a rowdy and conspicuous bunch now, but soon they would enter the territory which they sought to reclaim and be ordered to hush. 

Vallion marched among the second militia toward the southeastern portion of Poliwrath River's mystery dungeon. After careful planning, the Poliwrath chose to launch a dual-pronged attack on Alexander's land, leading half of their forces each to the upper and lower eastern fronts. After having pushed through any retaliation, they would turn toward the other and combine at near center to deal the final blow. If only one were to meet combat, the other group would eventually arrive at the opposition's flank to reinforce shortly afterward. 

He could feel his wounds and fractures flare up with each step, but it was irrelevant to the will driving his legs. His condition was less than optimal, but it still wasn’t enough to slow the delusion that he was fit to fight. It was a toss in the air whether he'd be able to dodge or run the same as he could trudge along. Would the ignition of adrenaline in his veins be enough to replicate the sheer constant purpose that forced his muscles to take one step after another? Only time would tell, and time was something he was very quickly running out of while standing in a huge accumulation of pokemon on the horizon of a battle. 

Bushes and brush fell to the steadfast stomps of nearly a hundred disgruntled soldiers. Firelight shone past trees and drew great shadows of both the landscape itself and the largest of forms that walked onward for a likewise cause. The patriotism that filled this thick air beckoned for each breath to be inspiring of their defiant motivation, but that only made Vallion feel even more displaced in this company. The brilliance of promised glory simply wasn't enough to cause him to forget who it was waiting on the other side to meet this assault. Alexander wasn't so much an enemy as he was an inflexible soul caught by circumstance, but today made him out to be another obstacle to overcome. Had the king expressed malleability to his reign, had he not taken Panne in the stead of Larvesta's captured presence; things might have been different. It was a dreadfully painful shame what was in store for the guardian human of Paradise. 

Heavy against his side was the pack of tools which the Poliwrath had so graciously given him in exchange for the remainder of his usefulness. It wasn't too bad of an arsenal either, this forest was known for its abundance of blast seeds after all. The issue came with how his utility was lacking where artillery likely could not compensate. All he had to circumvent direct attackers was a single whirlwind wand which had a questionable amount of uses left, so it was mainly up to his explosives to deter foes before that came into effect. If all else failed and defeat loomed over them, he had but a single reviver seed to ensure his own retreat. Such a precarious position was one he'd still gladly remain in without any second thoughts. 

A wave of quiet began to rush over the marching masses like a high tide. The prior chattering quickly fell to whispers and allowed one to hear better the sounds of stressed woodlands and scattered footsteps. None could deny the command which was passed backwards in gentle tones from the front, "We draw near, become silent." Overhead came the turning of wings from every flying pokemon which accompanied this force, and somewhere near the front of this formation a Volcarona hovered as an aerial guide. The other of the pair was leading the flight pattern of the northern assault several miles away. 

Had they already come so close to Alexander's territory? Even while plagued by chronic ache, Vallion began to grow restless while keeping pace inside this energized but sluggish crowd. Things were moving too slowly, and yet, the sky had just barely attained the darkest of blues the very next time he looked up. The sluggishness of their movement felt like the needless hesitance to dress a wound, it wasn't as if he particularly needed to bask in the reverence of dissent like most of these pokemon seemed to desire. He just wanted Panne back in his arms, this land and whomever decides to rule it mattered little to that goal. 

It was a simple decision to hasten his stride and begin overtaking those in front of him. With his small stature, he was easily able to dart between legs and swerve around groups mumbling a similar impatience beneath breaths. The lighting of the terrain changed many times as different torch bearers provided unique angles from those farther back in the masses. Steadily did the crowd start to thin out until just ahead marched ever onward a Poliwrath, as vigilant and high as ever while guiding their fellow revolutionaries to war. All Vallion had to do was take to the shadows of the nearby forest and speed ahead of his march. After all, he was more of a mercenary than he was a soldier. Nobody could stop him if he wished to scout ahead. 

Soon the carried light which made the forest visible faded behind him and shrouded the scenery in an inky vagueness. This was fine, he didn't have much trouble traversing this forest in darkness so long as his pace wasn't a blind sprint from danger. Though the crippled sense of sight only heightened his awareness of the quickening heartbeat in his chest, or the pangs in his sides. It just wasn't interesting enough to partake in the rallying call to to reclaim his home when this wasn't even a place to draw familiarity or comfort from. Now that his thoughts were allowed to bloom separate from that mentality, it was easy to see that his home was trapped behind bars far beyond this righteous battle that was about to take place. Dominion and pride were second to his love. 

The sky had managed to gain an oceanic shade by the time the canopy had opened enough for a clear view. It couldn't have been an hour until sunrise, the miserable feeling in his eyelids and the back of his chest confirmed this just as fine as the sight. A sleepless night always carried a toll of its own, but an emotional impact had yet to be made with the mission at hand overwriting any such shallow notions. There was plenty worse things at hand to be anxious about then a lack of rest into the next day. He probably won't even feel this uncomfortable insomnia stirring for much longer, impending events would take his entire concentration away from such insignificant things. 

Besides, the morning was coming too quickly for the camisado to be true to its definition. The Poliwrath must have overestimated their speed and left too late for an entirely preemptive strike. The flying division of their army especially was being held back by the irksome task of leading so many through a forest under cover of night. Perhaps it wasn't just his own eagerness that made it seem like they were moving slowly. Nevertheless, he was this far ahead anyway. Might as well try and spot any enemy positions and- 

Or, perhaps he was the one who was being spotted. A distant flash of motion froze a breath mid gasp in his throat and sent shocks through his already rattled nerves. He searched frantically up and down his shaded surroundings, but the sky had not brightened enough for this act to be in the least bit successful. Had it been a hallucination borne of exhaustion and strained eyesight? Could it be Alexander sneaking about in his frighteningly efficient way on the eve of a fight foreseen? Nothing more came of the commotion, so there suspiciously wasn't much else to go off of. It was uncharacteristic for the shadows to play such a trick only once. 

As he turned around, it became deathly clear that he should trust his own intuitions far more than he had. A pair of blood-red eyes glared at him from beyond the brush, clearly visible even in this sullen black. His veins froze to the point of threatening a shiver to run up his spine. The entity, knowing their prey had witnessed its existence, rose from the concealing vegetation to fully reveal themselves. He was right the first time, Alexander had indeed sensed the the arrival of an enemy movement and stationed forward to meet them. They would slither forth and greet the first intruder to stumble onto their territory with an expression too dark to read. 

A swift motion was carried by his arm to widen the opening of the bag on his side and swipe a blast seed from within. It would rest locked secured between his teeth, the slightest compression willed by his jaw would break the shell and spit forth combustion. "Stay where you are! Don't move an inch closer," he commanded, words slightly mangled by the foreign object in his mouth. Alexander obeyed the order as both froze in place and stared cautiously into the other's cryptic face. A twitch of his eye noticed the bandage around their chest from where a vine had penetrated yesterday. The forest anxiously awaited for either to make the first move. 

"Panne insisted you would come," the Serperior spoke plainly despite the standoff, his voice piercing as cleanly as his gaze. "Almost as much as she spoke poorly of my choices. Those two things were most of what she's done, in fact. She won't eat, she won't sleep, she refuses to even tend to her own injuries. It's the same charade every time I enter the chamber which holds her cell. Threatening me with your arrival, spitting poison." 

In the momentary calm, Vallion took initiative to reach back and grip the whirlwind wand still sheathed inside the bag. It might be too late if he had to make the entire motion, better to have it at the ready while he could. "She wants to go home, and so do I. This childish dispute over nothing but land isn't worth our lives." 

Alexander didn't react to his grabbing of a weapon hidden away from sight, maintaining a seamless composure as was annoyingly usual. "I find it astounding and interesting how dearly she misses you. A bond that transcends the want to obey bodily limitations is one especially seldom in this frivolous world. I only know of one other. I can assume you know which I refer to, considering our symmetry," he let loose a single syllable of a chuckle. "There isn't a single word I can get in edgewise with her. It's like trying to explain philosophy to a brick wall lined with thorns." 

"Let her go, Alexander. I'm not going to stop until she's at my side again. I don't care about your true identity, what terrible things you do to me, or what your plan is for this region. YOU should assume what I'm capable of if you keep Panne from me, considering our symmetry," he growled despite the obstruction in his mouth. It was fortunate his arms were already out of sight, lest it would've been obvious how much he trembled. 

"Believe me, I know. You've gotten yourself all tangled up in my affairs just to have a chance at bringing her back, haven't you?" the Serperior shook his head. "You can barely stand as it is. The only thing tightening your muscles is her absence, I'm sure. To think that you'd crawl back and face me despite your fighting abilities being dashed, that's the kind of strength I expected from you to begin with. It seems you've even found a way to do damage despite your broken body; I must say, it's exhilarating to witness." 

Vallion felt the blast seed pressed uneasily against his inner cheek. "Don't let your experience convince you that this is a game. I'm fully prepared to drag myself through a hundred hells with just my teeth to get my partner back. The laws of nature didn't stop me once before, I don't see why you'd be any more a roadblock." 

"We tear through time and space quite often, don't we?" Alexander responded wistfully and stared off into the distance. At first it seemed like Clairvoyance had taken effect, but he did not continue to bear down on a single point. His eyes were traveling about the shadows as if asking for something but finding nothing. Just enough of the virgin blue glow of dawn poured through the leaves to make visible his face, and the melancholy which encumbered it. 

"...If you came just to save your partner-" the Serperior began once his glare readjusted. "-then go. There is no need for you to partake in this fight if that's all you're here for." 

He did not budge. This was no time to be careless, even a generous offer such as that should be taken with quite a few grains of salt. "What do you mean?" 

Alexander approached a few feet closer as if the threatening stance meant nothing. "Go to the Fennekin. You are right, none of this is worth your lives. If you were to face my army and I in your condition, I'd fear for your demise more than you having to persevere through a little suffering. It's more than I could take if I had to bring that kind of news to your lover, and it would still be easier on me than her." 

Words desperately gathered on his tongue just to fall backwards down his throat. All the tension and valor that he had been amassing for hours seemed to disappear in an instant, leaving only confliction to circulate in his hammering chest. Fighting Alexander wasn't daunting anymore, it was just sad. His ready stance fell limp as the blast seed rolled harmlessly into the pocket of his cheek like a relinquished arrow. 

"Y- you'd really just let me walk away, just like that? What about the rebellion, and what about Larvesta? Why would we be an exception now when just yesterday you'd sooner nearly kill us both than let your prisoner escape?" A terrible queasiness infested his stomach and threatened to drag him to the ground. Why was he so easily manipulated? 

"I never intended for you two to get involved in this. But alas, the damage has already been done. You are only a part of these rowdy individuals because circumstance wouldn't have it any other way, and this is my last chance to correct at least this wrong before it spirals out of control. It won't be long before Reinhardt's forces engage the northern assault, and nor will you be safe for much longer in my presence. Please be off quickly." It was true, he really did have eyes everywhere. This plan had been fabricated a mere two hours ago and he had already formed a pattern to counter it. 

A surge of concern rose for someone he was so ready to clash with just minutes ago. "No, I don't think you understand how many there are," Vallion insisted. "There's far too many for you to take this time. I've witnessed their numbers firsthand, your prowess and loyal pokemon aren't going to match up against such a demanding war. I should be the one worrying for your life, not the other way around. Especially if a Volcarona can still prove a worthy foe even by themselves." 

Suddenly, a blur flew by from the treeline and exploded between them in a cloud of glittering yellow particles. Vallion lunged away from the stunning powder, forgetting entirely that such a trick wouldn't work on his physiology. The motion hadn't been entirely useless, as the attack was more a sign that they had run out of time. He dashed toward a thicket but turned around, still drawn to the magnetism of the situation. 

As he looked for friends and foes alike, he saw that Alexander had not even flinched from their original position. He chose instead to give a sigh of disdain from inside the spore cloud rather than actually attempting an escape. A red shimmering appeared emanating from his form in response to the powder, a familiar light that Vallion recognized almost immediately. An emera had awakened its power to protect the Serperior from something which wouldn't have touched their lungs to begin with. It was then that the fourth piece of Alexander's crowning necklace became apparent past the dust: Status Immunity. 

"Do not believe his lies, Snivy!" the familiar guttural shout of Poliwrath rang from an unknown location around them. Rustling filled the surrounding woods, yet nothing that caused the disturbance was clearly visible. Snippets of color in the dim light did nothing to help him identify what surrounded them from where. "He only wishes to manipulate and control you, as he did to so many of us! You must help us end this lust for power!" 

Alexander, too, searched for any semblance of motion that might be behind the noise of footfall and the flapping of wings. It was more than likely his intense gaze caught a far larger quantity of the repositioning forces than Vallion managed, perhaps even being able to solidify their locations. "This is my final warning," the Serperior spoke to the world around them with a severe pitch. "Return to your homes and cease this pointless struggle. I have taken nothing from you but the childish principles you cling to." 

Their scoff emerged from the brush before anything else. "But you have taken our dignity, pretender. And you would have so taken much more had we allowed you to. That is true to your plans, is it not? Convince us to give an inch so that one day you might steal a mile?" The Poliwrath finally stood from the cover of foliage to the east of them both. "If you're so determined to lead like a patriarch, then you might as well die a martyr!" 

A flash of orange ignited the sky above as if the sun had been summoned instantly. Vallion barely had the time to duck and hit the ground before a monsoon of stinging heat washed over his whole being. The single gasp he did take in burned the back of his throat and felt like it was searing the insides of his lungs. He coughed, eyelids shut tight but still irritated from the flames which he was nearly soaked with. It took a moment for him to realize that darkness had once again descended over the forest, cool air rushed back in place of where warmth once occupied. The Volcarona must have grown tired of politics, violently so from how even this lush and wet woodland was scorched to the nearly a blackness. 

What surprised him more was how casually Alexander slithered back over the singed section of land where he had originally been standing. Unscathed, no less. Maybe Vallion had underestimated the sheer velocity at which he could move in an instant, had he been holding back the time they fought? The Serperior carried an especially grim expression as they stared up past branches and leaves to find the source of such a destructive deluge. He almost seemed... reluctant? 

"So be it, then. My apologies," Alexander muttered as a vine crept from his shoulder and, instead of flattening into a viridescent blade, lowered into one of his vestigial hands tucked away behind his back. Vallion had almost completely forgotten that his final evolution even possessed hands, as they were made entirely obsolete through the dextrous use of vines. Wrapped tightly by such, Alexander pulled something tiny which he had held stealthily from anyone's expectations and pressed the object to his chest. No, not his chest; Emera brace. 

It was obvious now why his necklace had been left incomplete for so long, and that reasoning was reinforced by the prismatic radiance that unraveled from his form like smoke heavier than the air. The logic behind having the immense gall as to stand alone in front of a hundred enemies and fire off threats regardless of number. He was not bluffing, the Serperior opened his eyes and took a profound breath of his own viridescent aura. A grin found its way onto his face from the stimulating swell of power that electrified every cell in his body. The Awakening emera had successfully taken full effect. 

Everyone in the trees had seen this action as the official declaration of war, one they were so thirsty for all this time. Pokemon poured from every thicket and wove past trees, down from the sky or charging from below they clamoured to get a piece of Alexander. A great cry rose into the fetal dawn as the rebel army sought to destroy once and for all the king of Poliwrath River, whose composure only seemed to improve under the pressure while seconds from combat. It had begun, and Vallion could neither move nor look away. 

A flood of bodies crashed into Alexander from every possible angle but directly below, yet the flurry of vines through the air somehow kept him from being immediately piled upon. The flimsy appendages impossibly kept at bay a thousand pounds of tendon and muscle, claw and fang having no effect on his skin when a malicious strike did manage to land. Hypnotic was the serpentine body smoldering with light that wove through their attacks like the way oil would dodge water. Even with these vast powers at his disposal, sheer numbers proved to gain vantage far more quickly than they could be extinguished. A drastic spin of Leaf Blades provided a brilliant show in addition to warding away his enemies for but a second. 

Through the leaves above spilled another sun's worth of amber glow. Vallion shielded his face from the burning torrent that flared so painfully along his body like a rake of knives. He knew better now to hold his breath until the heat had subsided, and greedily gulped down the charred-tasting atmosphere once it did. When he uncovered his eyes, Alexander stood among the embers merely slightly scorched while the ground around them was still aflame on the very fringes. It was as if the emera had granted him immortality. A brightening green in the center of his curled vine contrasted from the prismatic wind that flowed from him, he lobbed the Energy Ball straight through the canopy with a violent motion. The resounding shockwave that came seconds after from the distant direct hit rattled leaves and bones all the same. 

Poliwrath's forces had rallied by then, those were were not caught in the explosion took aim for Alexander's throat as they rushed back in like a vacuum. More than before had descended upon him from the west, but the battle shifted within a fraction of a moment when those pokemon clashed into others without even a glance at the Serperior. This immense shift in the tide gave him enough time to continue throwing chlorophyllic artillery at far-off aerial targets. Those who fought against one another with frothing malice wore a crude crimson emblem on their fronts, a red circle painted over feather, fur, and scale. A strategy to differentiate friend from foe in the vivid midst of chaos. Alexander's soldiers had arrived. 

All too suddenly did Vallion realize that he stood in a battlefield not while hailing to either side. Dazed with awe, he was an easy target for a pokemon's jagged claw, which slashed into his flesh and jarringly bat his whole aside. He spiraled about to keep his balance, crying out as the unforeseen sting on his back surely brought blood to the surface of his skin. The world stopped spinning just long enough to allow a clear image of the snarling Persian whose chest bore that same red shape. All but a split second of thought was allowed before the creature took stance to pounce on him. 

That was all the time he needed to push the blast seed between his back teeth and bite down with all the might his jaw could muster. His mouth flew open forcefully, the resulting explosion engulfed his vision and jerked his head back in concussive recoil. The stunning aftermath was harsh even to a skilled practitioner of the weapon, and it was always disconcerting for the ignition to take place centimeters from their face. Still, the Persian who began a lunge for his throat felt the full effect of the seed much more clearly. They were dissuaded easily as the smell of burnt fur trailed after their limping retreat. 

He had to get out of here. The desire to survive lead him to fight, yet there was nothing left of the drive which he had built up across the entirety of last night. Terror had taken place where fury should have been, this entire battle was rendered pointless to him by Alexander's surrender. Vallion snapped up another blast seed and popped it into his mouth before picking a direction and translating that fear into momentum. The skirmishes extended outward like a nucleus from where the Serperior fought, infusing indistinct patches of woodland with lights and terrible sounds. Warcries, sickening cracks and slams, and the agony-filled shrieks of individual defeat. He had hoped that most of those noises were branches snapping and not something worse. 

Quickly had another of Alexander's army had mistaken him for a soldier of rebellion and moved to intercept him. A Sawk embellished with that red circle took stance, apparently uninterested by a fire type's altercation raging on nearby. Their stance was too large for him to penetrate past without getting clipped by a strike. He had no choice but to diffuse the confrontation. Vallion reached to his side for the whirlwind wand stashed away, but the Sawk saw this action as an opportunity to advance with injurious intent. Another desperate chomp, one more burst of jolting kinetic consequences and blinding sparks, and he had escaped past the attacker while gasping for a smokeless breath. 

Not even into the next dense patch of forest did he make it before an orange shine filtered relentlessly through the leaves above. He glanced to the sky and froze as the impending flames grew brighter as it incinerated the air approaching him. The Volcarona must have intended to decide the skirmish being waged beside him, caring not for the blast radius or environmental damage. Vallion held already the whirlwind wand, and on impulse and impudence, decided in the few seconds before the fireball descended upon him that his weak form was greater. A mighty swing which he had put his whole mass into released an incongruous deafening gale from the mere twig in his hands. The whirlwind whipped violently at everything in its wake before crashing through the canopy and colliding at the corner of the burning maelstrom. His gamble had seemed successful as its shifting shape spilled outward and erupted to fill every exposing crack with blinding brilliance. A sliver of fear stabbed into his chest when the flames fell through the leaves regardless, but disappeared as they did as well, turning instead into harmless embers and fizzling into nonexistence around him. 

He ran off during the dazzling display before anyone else could take notice of him. The bush he dove into harbored unseen thorns that raked across his skin and stuck yearningly at him, but the only inconvenience that it provided was impairing slightly his mobility. The zephyr of adrenaline in his veins ensured that nothing short of a revelation could halt his retreat. Even so, the flashes of green that rained down from the heavens with percussive waves rattled his nerves and jounced the broken bones in his center. A memory of yesterday's reckless and panicked sprint played in his mind like nostalgia, but this time there was no desperate shout of Panne circulating about his skull to pull the wool over pain. 

The sounds of war finally began to fall behind as Vallion continued fleeing, but that twinge of relief caused a wall of nausea to smash into him suddenly. It also allowed him to hear the muted footsteps of a pursuer which had gone unnoticed for a section of time unbeknownst to him. He turned his head for but a moment to catch a glance of what and where the creature was, force knocked everything wayward and completely destroyed any semblance of balance he had. With his back pressed firmly and sinking deeper into mud and soil from something on his chest, Vallion regained visual perception and saw only bared fangs and frothed spit. 

"I knew you were a traitor from the first second I laid eyes on you," it growled, hot and putrid breath washing over his face. Unsheathed claws dug deeper into his flesh as fractured ribs screamed in anguish and blood was easily drawn. Vallion would have cried out if death hadn't been inches from his throat in the form of snarling canines. "You reeked of weakness then, you reek of weakness and blood now. It would be a favor to end your pitiful existence." 

The Mightyena pinned him even deeper into the relenting earth, pressing all the air from his lungs. Despair festered as he realized there was no blast seed in his cheek, a folly borne from impatience after he had dispelled the Volcarona's attack. His attention fell next to the whirlwind wand which he gripped barely in his right hand. The range at which he could swing it would be immensely limited, and he could only do so in an upward fashion, but it was conspicuously his only chance at escape. It seemed like every passing second might be the one where the Mightyena had fed enough on the fear he exuded and went for the killing blow. 

Vallion prayed that the wand had not already emptied of uses while he prepared the stiff motion. He twisted his wrist, felt the strain in his right arm cry out almost as loudly as his lungs burned for a breath, and finally felt the scepter respond. The gust was especially weak due to the pathetic movement, but what mattered was that it had enough of an effect to lift the Mightyena a slight amount. Enough for him to scramble out from underneath the yelping pokemon and crawl away. He sucked in a gasp as the clumsy wriggling transitioned into an awkward stance, it wasn't over yet. Feet at least somewhat firm on the ground, wand held ready across his front, Vallion let loose a shout of effort and spun his entire form to fire off a mighty squall directly at the pokemon behind him. It could barely muster a whine of surprise before the blast made a square collision to the red emblem on its chest and sent it spiraling like a ragdoll. He cringed away from the eventual sound of bone and flesh crashing against unbending wood. 

Once again had he applied force to his legs and continued on the original path of retreat. Everything hurt inside more than ever, and blood leaked freely from where claws had cleanly bore through his flesh, but he had to keep moving regardless. All he had to do was get to the river and everything would follow from there. Most if not all of Alexander's patrols had to be reallocated to these gruesome battles, so resistance would be minimal if only he could make it deeper into this sought-after territory. Civilians wouldn't pose any kind of threat to a Snivy who looked so ragged and torn, and they were probably hiding to avoid the conflict anyway. He and Panne were going to have to lay low until the fighting wears down and the Society gets here. 

The sky steadily began to turn a pleasant shade of light blue now that there wasn't a constant fit of explosions and lights to drown it out. It was going to be a beautiful sunrise, or at least it would be on any other day. In the wonderful fresh silence, Vallion found himself slowing his pace and panting voraciously, the rapid expansion of his lungs causing dull pangs of ache to spread outward. It seemed he had overestimate the sheer power of love he used to fuel himself, as the desire to fall over and accept the clutches of wounded exhaustion felt even greater than ever. A hysterical chuckle rose from his throat and sounded more like a delicate cough than anything. His limits had been blown off the hinges a long time ago and continued to fly through the air. 

Yes, he's made a great enough headway to deserve these fleeting moments of rest. Now might be the only chance he'd get at having a semi-leisurely pace. If it kept him barely above having a paralyzing collapse, that was all the better. It wasn't as if he were in top physical condition to begin with, most everyone he knew would have probably implored him to stop trying to kill himself by now. Ampharos would have tied him to a chair if they knew this was the level of exertion he was working at. It was amusing in a hopeless kind of way. 

Vallion took the rare opportunity to glance down at the wand which he held onto for dear life. The runes that used to lightly mark its surface had faded, and there was nothing left of the weight that would indicate there was any energy left within. It was about as useful as a stick at this point, so he threw it to the ground with the others that littered the forest bed. That's not to say it didn't just save his hide thrice over, but it was truthfully nothing more than what it seemed now that he had exhausted its uses. At least he didn't have to carry its unwieldy shape in the bag hanging over his side anymore. Any ounce less of magic and he would've been either he would have half a throat or have been doused in third-degree burns. 

His ears were peeled thin for the faint hope of running water in the distance while the forest droned on. There was no way he could keep moving in a straight line and not encounter it at some point. The river divided this entire region in two, it was practically an inevitability like any other. All he had to do was keep moving and he'd eventually find Panne, the worst of it was surely over with. The last leg of this hellish day was drawing near with one final rescue mission, regardless of who won the battle for Poliwrath River. Any minute now a resurgence of confidence would flood his body and speed his search along twice-fold. 

But it didn't come. Rather than on the last few steps to save his love and partner, Vallion felt instead like he just pushed someone down a flight stairs and walked away. The Poliwrath had given him a means to redeem his failure in exchange for his word, and at first chance he went back on that pledge. He turned away from Alexander to stand with Panne on a moral high-ground as well, yet for that he was pardoned still even after all the turmoil he had caused. And after he had prepared himself to kill just for the chance to scour these lands, too. Forget shining knight, he was more akin to a cowardly thief brandishing steel to everyone's backs. 

Was it so bad that he just wanted his friend back and to go home? No more allegiances, no more politics, no more frivolous patriotism, and certainly no more fighting. There's no telling how much more of this game he could take before his heart and body gave out. Could he even call himself a hero after all the betrayal and dishonesty he's committed over the last few hours alone? It's not as if the title had much merit to his name when referring to anything but Dark Matter, and such feats were ruled more by destiny then his own perseverance. Hell, were these deeds even befitting of a member of the esteemed Exploration Society? 

A slight limp emerged in his animation as Vallion trudged ever-onward encircled with an unending supply of dark thoughts. Sticks would snap beneath his feet, leaves would gently sway from a fragile draft, but running water would always continue to be a nonexistent instrument in this melody. His outlook on the situation would only worsen as he gracelessly navigated around the many obstructing features of a woodland, each moment of uninteresting silence grating on him like erosion on stone. Everything chivalrous had left his body long ago with the lines of blood which trailed the contours of his figure. All he had to do was not disappoint the one person who mattered in all of this, just the one. He just needed to make Panne happy... 

 

 

 

Part 3: In The End of All Things

 

With suffering came distraction, and he had forgotten about the pain of his labored shuffling for some time now. It wasn't until a far-off splashing caught his attention that he was even aware of his surroundings to begin with. The somber yet restless rush of Poliwrath River had finally intersected his aimless wandering. He set his hypnotic brooding aside and hurried forth to meet the nearby landmark. Split bushes and vines revealed the morning mist accumulating along the white water in an eerie way, thick enough that there was no clear visibility of the opposite shore. A refreshing coolness ruled the area more than any sovereign ruler could. Dew adorned each blade of grass while humidity tinged the air with countless liquid jewels. It would only be a short while before the sun had completely risen to shine brilliance through each and every drop, the horizon visible behind the mountains had developed a gradient of yellow to accompany the still brightening blue. 

Just one breath of the crisp air felt spectacular spilling down his ragged throat. Vallion stepped further toward the river and stumbled over its gravel fringes. He didn't hesitate to drop to his hands beside the water and dunk his head beneath, bubbles rising through the splash from the startled gasp that escaped in the sudden chill. He gulped down as much as his lungs would allow before throwing his head back and coughing toward the sky. That might have been the greatest and most painful drink of water he's ever had. A chuckle rose from inside of him, but it sounded like choking as it escaped. This was a start, but he still had a long road ahead of him. 

In an environment of pure disorder, where no two days had the same trees beside one another for long, how on earth was he going to find Panne? She was somewhere secluded and hidden away, but that much added nothing to his search. This was a mystery dungeon, practically every corner held secrets and seclusion. Perhaps she'd be in the same place that the Larvesta was being held? He seemed to recall her saying that it was in a cave somewhere, but that only made his quest even more complex than it needed to be. Finding the opening to a cave in this place might as well have been finding hay in a needlestack. A needlestack that was constantly changing, no less. 

Mildly shaking, he took a gradual stand and shook the remaining liquid from his face. It was best not to dwell on it sitting still while there were so many places to scour. Pebbles crunched into one another beneath every step as he took a northern direction and limped along the water's edge. Every second he delayed was not one without risk, there was no telling who might become hostile and attack him on sight should they make it this far into the territory. It was preferable he didn't use up his entire arsenal of blast seeds before having completed his search. They were his absolute last means of fighting back, as there wasn't enough force left in him to slam into enemies haphazardly to any particular effect. 

Though he expected the peace to be broken at any moment while he tread through the mist, it never did. The serene quiet which flowed above the river's current was almost disturbing to a degree. Not long ago he had witnessed an especially grotesque scene of unbridled violence and ignorance break out over this very land. And yet, despite its memory being muddled with such tragedy, the land did not respond at all. Not even his own tinted lens could perceive this riverscape as anything other than timeless, cavalier natural beauty. The blood and sins of mortals today would always sink into the earth and be washed away, and all this strife and warfare will be forgotten downstream anyway. This scene had a permanence that would always remain heedless of anything he did, and that poetic symbolism was deeply upsetting in the moment. 

The effects of the conflict were not entirely unseen, however. Wading in the fog for long enough revealed several of the projects which Alexander had his loyal underlings begin constructing. Piles of timber, half-built foundations, and raw soil from dug spaces all sat completely deserted and vacant. He hadn't actually seen a single soul since he fled from the battle, and not from a lack of searching either. There genuinely was no life to be seen surrounding this typically bustling river. Was it just too early in the morning for people to be about? After seeing the incredibly brutal way a settlement was being forced into existence on this stretch of land, his already shaken nerves took a further unnecessary beating. At any second it felt as though a horrible creature would crawl into view and let loose a petrifying screech. 

"Vallion." 

He swung around so fast that his joints popped and crackled to unhealthy degrees from the sheer force. A vague figure stood among the trees and obscured by the dense humidity. That glare; for the first time and most unexpectedly so, Vallion actually felt his muscles relax under the weight of such scrutinizing eyes. He still reached into his bag regardless, there was never such a thing as being too cautious. Alexander chose then to approach through the mist without anything more of a greeting. As the distance between them closed and details began to form, the true state of Poliwrath River's master was made appallingly apparent. It was a contradiction to the invincibility expressed earlier just how blackened by flame and slashed by claw they were, blood and mud caking raw wounds that had enough visible depth to make him squeamish. Not even an Awakening emera could allow one to leave unscathed from such a momentous clash. 

"What are you doing here?" Vallion called out, not yet letting his guard down. Even if they were in similar straits regarding the damage they had taken, he would not dare doubt their abilities. "What happened to the battle? Is it over?" 

"Isn't it obvious? We have won already, through meticulous planning and positioning as well as the valiance of my soldiers. Those who were not driven back from this land are being tended by my healers and are soon to be my prisoners. Their weak resolve crumbled much easier than I had anticipated, so I was able to send the rest of my unwounded forces north to assist Reinhardt should he be having a worse engagement than I," Alexander spoke with such bravado that it was a keen reminder of just how their species thought, even beneath the influence of a human soul. 

Vallion wasn't sure whether to feel glad or disheartened towards the news of the victor. To be fair, if the result was flipped, he would remain just as indecisive. "Well why did you come to find me instead of aiding the northern front, then? Shouldn't the second wave of rebel forces be a higher priority than a half-dead Snivy wandering about in your territory?" 

"Because we haven't finished our conversation from yesterday, of course. Now would be the greatest time to do so, and in a poetic sense as well considering the final topic I wished to touch upon," the Serperior said as they stopped with mere feet between the two. His muscles relaxed again, pulling his hand from the bag of weaponry wrapped to his side and standing upright. If he was going to be attacked, he'd be face-down in the gravel and oozing blood by now. "-And, I can tell that you are painfully lost. I'd rather not continue to fight in this condition, so it'd be best if I guided you to Panne's current location while we have our chat." 

He remained silent, the truth bringing a boiling frustration to his throat. Even when pardoned from the battle and allowed to freely roam this land, he was still ultimately hopeless when it came to finding Panne alone. How could he be so worthless even now? Alexander, paying no heed to his inner flagellation if it were visible on his face, turned upstream and uttered a single command. "Come." Vallion set aside his grieving ego for later, that bout would have to wait until everything was set right again. 

It felt peculiar to be in the same situation as yesterday once more, being led down the shore of Poliwrath River to locations unknown. They had been to this forest many times before, and yet, there still walked a guide before them each time. The entire point of their title of explorer seemed null as a constant need for native assistance beckoned for every destination in this god-forsaken mystery dungeon. His independence had died a long time ago, but this was just depressing. 

"Tell me something, Vallion," Alexander began in the gloom before him. "Why does the Exploration Society take distress calls and rescue missions if it's meant to be a place of cartography? Better yet, why would rescue teams need to be formed to begin with?" 

"The Society's vast knowledge of geography and certain locations gives it an edge for specific types of missions. It's also the only acting emergency guild on the Water continent, so it must take local requests especially above all else," his first answer was like clockwork, information better suited for a textbook than a discussion of philosophy. The second question, however, clogged for a moment in his already overclocked mind. "And... I suppose there will always be need for strong fighters. As new conflicts and situations arise that need the external help of incredibly skilled individuals, more will respond and train to fill those roles. The fundamental inevitabilities of tragedy will be addressed by those who have the courage and heart to answer. 

Alexander grunted in acknowledgement of this. "Yes, but they will never address the root of the problem. Such a process will always cut the weed from the stem and think it defeated. If brave pokemon will always rise to fight this everlasting swarm of maladies and evils, what do you think causes the problems to arise in the first place? Don't you think there should be a way for peace to be achieved as a constant rather than a temporary?" 

The questions only seemed to grow more difficult for him to process. He hadn't gotten any sleep last night, after all. "I would hope for such a solution, but I don't believe there will ever be an end to evil so conclusive that we will lack the need for rescue teams. That was the message delivered by the defeat of Dark Matter, after all. Terrible events will continue to sprout up all over so long as the world keeps spinning. It's just a part of life." 

"That's what I thought, too." Alexander shook their head despite facing away from him. "As I continued to contemplate the Bittercold's end, it seemed that there was no end to suffering after all. I was wrong. You're meant to feel that vulnerability, a complacency that submits to assuming negative happenings always were and will always be. This way of thinking simply isn't true, though it is not false either. Almost everything that encompasses those missions that rescue teams go on might be prevented. All it takes is a little planning, a little effort, and far more structuring than is currently available." 

What came through to Vallion was the confusing mess of a man who's had too much time to think about this. He didn't have the cognitive ability at the moment to comprehend all of their abstract machinations. "If you're going to preach, do it thoroughly," he insisted. "It's taking far too much of my sleepless concentration to listen and understand everything you're saying. Deliver what you were with more details to compensate for my exhaustion." 

The Serperior paused to inhale a mighty chunk of the river's humidity. This was a spiel they've said many times before, and one they'll continue to express many times again. "Think of some common issues a rescue team confronts on a regular basis, and ask yourself instead why they are. Why does the outlaw flee from civilization to a nearby mystery dungeon for cover? Why would the lost pokemon suffer such dangerous risks while trapped in a mystery dungeon over the relative safety of natural wilderness? Why, pray tell, are these places of intrigue and chaos so prone to atrocities like the ones committed today? 

"It stems further from the fact that these lands all over the world are weakened. Not in a physical sense, but a dependency on these teams of explorers and fighters has developed a particularly addictive trend. So badly do we need these groups of individuals to mend our problems that many forget the fundamentals of prevention. It only gets worse when you account for the glory and recognition these teams receive, skewing the general perception from seeing them as dedicated vigilantes to full-blown heroes. Children grow up around this constant admiration and grow attached. They see these people helping others and recognize selflessness, they start to develop dreams of grandeur and heroism. 

"And I'm not speaking low of the individuals that make up rescue teams. They are indeed a selfless bunch who do not intend the harm they cause, Reinhardt and I used to be one such example years ago. But look around. See the outlaws still escaping authority by fleeing in the savage mystery dungeons, whose inhabitants care little for ethics and law. See the lost traveler having their life threatened by accidentally treading on the homes of territorial pokemon, as if it were their folly after all. Those who dwell in mystery dungeons are often cruel and care not for the backgrounds of anyone who treads in their homes. In contrast, those who we have cultivated in Paradise are often caring and, just the same, lack the will to bother themselves with whom they invite into their homes. Paradise was built so primarily in favor of adventurers that the entire population was practically a rescue team right down to the civilians." 

Vallion interrupted suddenly for a moment of mental rest. "I'm assuming that your ultimate solution to misfortune itself has something to do with Paradise? Better yet, I'm assuming all these half-finished projects that are scattered about the river involve your settlement and philosophy, right?" He stared at the pristine scenery as they wandered onward. A bright glare hit his eyes at certain angles and forced a squint, the yellow tint of dawn gracing the horizon and illuminating shapes through leaves. The fog had almost dissipated now. 

"In a way, yes. They are a large part of the structure and systems which I want to bring about in this region, soon to be a shining example for the rest of the world. I spent a great deal of my later years in Paradise doing research on what it was that made us so successful. It would reveal complications I didn't even know existed, negative recurring aspects that were seemingly unknown from the area around our settlement. The lifestyle which we promoted and supplied seemed to clear out the region of malpractice and malicious intent entirely. When a community is knit so tightly that not even crime and prejudice occurs, that is when we have solved misfortune." 

"My presence here is to breed and that kind of prosperity from within the chaos itself. Post Town was already present by the time we had began the construction of Paradise, the location couldn't have been more convenient for that kind of dream. Here, a plethora of less savory pokemon and habits have always prevented anything truly great and innovative from blossoming. That's not to say that there cannot be brilliant and kind individuals who dwell within a mystery dungeon, but that is simply not a common case anymore. That is why I must break these trends before my body begins to fail and senility inevitably sets in. Remaining idle for my age to multiply when I know of so much more I could do for this world, I'd rather wrestle with nature than have to dwell on such a fate." 

A temporary silence drew between them as the sound of rushing water filled the landscape. With a sigh, Vallion found a place to offer his piece. "You intend to abolish ferality altogether? Or territorial tendencies? Is your conquering of Poliwrath River while attempting to rid the very thing that allowed you to do so a case of irony, or had it been your plan to fight fire with fire?" 

"Irony," Alexander immediately responded. "I tried to lead with words, I tried to offer promise and example, but the very thing I spoke against could only be stopped by itself. An expression of power was needed for people to even accept my claims as something noteworthy. I had to use a language they understood to begin teaching them a new one, if that makes sense. The more I played along, the more pokemon rose to oppose me, and you've seen firsthand the results of this game. You can't build a fence without getting a few splinters, and how I do feel so much sorrow for those splinters. 

"And for the success of my endeavors, just take a quick glance around this place. You speak as though these pokemon who shun civilization are impossibly set on their nature. It is that kind of judgement that underestimates these capable folk so. Look around at the system we've already established, at the bridges we're building both metaphysically and literally. In your entire time here, have you been attacked by a hostile entity whose motivation is trespassing? Is there any hint of hostility or dread borne from these woods that isn't due to the current and rather unfortunately timed conflict of rulers? Did you think this degree of order in the midst of disorder to be impossible previously?" 

It was a valid point, there indeed was an immense difference in atmosphere than any other dungeon he's ever been to. Actually, it's more accurate to say he's never seen this kind of thing happen before. Though it wasn't as if Vallion had a particularly extensive active memory of this earth. "Your idea almost seems too radical to possibly end well. A mystery dungeon is a place of untamed discord beyond our current understanding, and you would so easily walk in and generate a working system just like that? There will undoubtedly be grave roadblocks and setbacks in the near future if my foreboding has ever been correct. The rebellion you just quelled most certainly won't be the last thing to impede your progress." 

Alexander paused, turning around to make eye-contact with Vallion and cracking a smile. "It seems you're forgetting about your true nature already. We are human, and our duty in the pokemon world is to do the impossible. Why do you think it is ancient tradition to summon us only to defeat the most menacing of foes? Those death-defying, world-eating things that not even the great legendary pokemon can sum up to? Those are ours to conquer. What's a settlement in some unpredictable woods to ending the threat of an immortal force which threatens the very fabric of our existence? Think, who better to make the unthinkable a reality but us?" 

"While true, you cannot mistake yourself so perfect that you cannot fail just because of your soul," Vallion interjected with a newfound zeal on his tongue. "After all, you speak so highly of structure and safety from fabricated communities inside of mystery dungeons, but there was a lost child not too long ago in this very forest. They were held captive from their parents for selfish reasons, kept comfortable and silent so that one might achieve their goals that much quicker. Arrogance and wisdom cannot disguise hypocrisy so easily." 

"I-..." the Serperior stopped themselves and glanced down at the grass below with a despondent sigh. It was the most expressive Vallion had ever seen the king, their brow furrowing as intensely as their frown. "I cannot be excused for my actions. If I wish to remain true to my ideals, my crime should not be ignored. Just the same, I cannot yet give up just because of that one crucial mistake. To surrender now would be to allow everything I've built and all the studies I've done to crumble worthlessly. Why should I let all the harm I've caused go to waste in the end? I'm not asking you or anyone to forgive me, but the time for my repentance is not quite yet." 

It was an admirable resolution, one which Vallion couldn't help but feel sympathetic with. The emotion twisted inside of him and became self-malevolent rather than understanding. He was so easily manipulated, why was even this getting through to him? Alexander was a criminal by all rights, and they had so readily brutalized both him and Panne for their own gain. Why did he feel this... powerlessness? Was he this bad of a person? Before him was someone perfectly willing to be the villain to create what they thought to be a better world for all, and he in comparison was a cowardly liar who cheated and stole from the admirable and proud just to be with his lover. And the most painful part; that was the full extent of his depth. That was all he was. 

This storm of troubled thoughts in his mind was interrupted by the first sign of life this riverside has seen all day. The frantic flapping of wings faintly echoed with a few desperate cries in the distance. The shouts only grew more distraught as the space closed between them, even Alexander turned to see what the peculiar disturbance wrought. Above the treeline came a Starly shooting through the air at hazardous speeds, screaming all the same for the attention of the king. 

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" It shrieked as it came into earshot. Not even barreling across the sky as quickly as it did slowed its calls. Suddenly it attempted a landing beside them, which was more akin to a perilous emergency crash than anything. He would have been concerned if not for the panicked blood allowing it to instantly spring up from the frightening descent, the wobbly recovery and undeniable dizziness were paid no attention. 

"What is it?" Alexander quickly asked, noticing the apparent importance of its message. It could not answer at first, wheezing from the disorientation of its landing and the velocity of its flight. "What's going on? Is it news of the northern front?" 

"You... your majesty!" the Starly gasped as well as it could without a breath in its body. "The northern... flank has fallen!" 

He had never seen the Serperior's face darken so quickly. "WHAT!? Tell me where, and how! Is Reinhardt alright? How did the get past our phalanx?" 

Starly shuddered in its inability to deliver these urgent details despite them obviously floating just within its beak. It barely had enough composure to stand straight to begin with. "More came... two Volcarona... couldn't hold... too much fire." 

"Vallion, come with me," Alexander gravely commanded, looking up from the worn messenger. 

"Wh- Why am I going? I thought you allowed me to be exempt of your war!" 

"Panne is nearby the northern edge of the region. She is in danger." 

Oh. There was no further hesitation from either of them, a burst of speed erupted from their muscles and sent them onward as details blurred. He had to make a tighter swerve then was natural when Alexander deftly pivoted and lunged into the forest. Though he was much slower in comparison, Vallion once again found the strength to break the limitations of his meager legs. Beneath the blanket of leaves they went, and then came yet another race through an endless land of thickets. It felt as though his heart had only just begun to beat again. 

Fear and fret propelled him forward, but the restrictions of his body were made swiftly and dreadfully apparent when the terrain began to grow cumbersome. Alexander's slender form excelled all too well at traversing the dense undergrowth and uneven ground, so well that a vast distance between them was very quickly cultivated. The Serperior was forced to turn and wait for him to catch up before bolting off again into through brush like it were a road. His feelings of self-deprecation would have compounded if not for the urgency which blew beneath his wings at every moment. Perhaps the rebel forces wouldn't be hostile to Panne themselves, but he had seen well what a single Volcarona did a landscape in seconds. If Panne were trapped in a cell with that kind of flaming deluge doubled, type disadvantages were null to such power. 

They kept on running regardless of any environmental obstacles that proved to be more than inhibiting. It was always running with this damn dungeon, he's had enough of it to last him months. This was supposed to be the final sprint, but a pessimistic twinge in his mind wouldn't have been surprised if it wasn't. Even the initial rush of adrenaline began to fade away alongside his diminishing speed. A different horror tugged at his heart as he trailed hopelessly after Alexander. His body was starting to fail, it was obvious from the growing hollow that accompanied the almost unbearable raw pain. He wasn't even sure if he would make it to where Panne was at this point, let alone survive another retreat. 

But the uncompromising forest refused to shorten. Again and again, Alexander was forced to wait ahead for him to torturously close the distance before continuing effortlessly up an incline of branches or through a dense collection of vines. It was practically an act of charity each time considering what was at stake for the Serperior. Neither even knew the precious well-being of their partner, yet they still inched along the landscape slowly and agonizingly. Yet another reason why he only weighed people down. 

He still knew that something had gone wrong when suddenly there was nobody waiting for him up ahead. Vallion grinded to a halt and used a rugged tree for balance, searching in despair for any sign of them. Had they blended into the environment and disappeared? Had he finally been left behind? There was shouting over the cacophony of his own heartbeat and panting, listening closer revealed what sounded like a clash off a ways. It came from... northeast! Just barely catching what he had hoped was the correct direction, Vallion ignored his waning body and dashed off towards where he had hoped Alexander fought. Up an abrupt ridge he climbed, seconds away from reaching down and grabbing a blast seed, but it was already done by the time his eyes made it over. The bag fell away back into its hanging position, so much for being of assistance. 

Alexander stood huffing over the writhing figures of three bleeding pokemon still in the process of falling unconscious from their injuries. The Serperior looked up at Vallion, a daunting seriousness crossed their face. "One of them escaped. They know I'm coming, they probably know where I'm going," he gasped before beckoning with a vine. "It's not much farther. This way." 

There was no objections he could mutter while among a pile of foes defeated before he could even arrive to help. He couldn't mutter anything anyway, his lungs were barely obeying the command to continue their basic functions. Vallion pushed up the final ways despite the searing rejection in his torso and sped onward to continue just barely following the Serperior. The immediate topography shifted to an overwhelmingly vertical section of woodland a small ways beyond where Poliwrath's forces laid, much to his colossal shagrin. Of course the cave would be at a higher altitude. Of course they'd have to meander in foothills to reach Panne. 

It was clear that this hill was the one to climb when Alexander clutched at the bases of trees and glided painlessly by. This only amplified just how much of a deadweight Vallion was as he took the first steps to scrambling against gravity. All he could do was clutch the thick roots of the careless flora that grew sideways along the slope and stamp his flimsy feet into the loose topsoil. He hadn't even been a few feet of the ground before the motion became increasingly strenuous to the point of nausea. Why was his body so overcome with weakness? Not now, not now! Panne was just over this hill, he knew it! A gasp turned into a queasy choke that forced him to stop firmly in place and resist gagging up stomach bile. If only he had his vines to make the ascent that much quicker. 

The dirt at least started to become more compact to the touch the higher he got. Rock and stone were being incorporated to a greater extent in the hill's composition as the altitude grew. It gave him a little bit better of a time finding footholds that didn't give way instantly, but that ease was offset by the climb's effect on his abused insides. Everything either burned like fire, went disturbingly numb, or somehow both. There wasn't much more damage he could do at this point, so might as well keep pressing on along this final stretch. He hadn't even the mental room for relief as the clamber became a sloped trudge, eventually even resembling flatness as the peak finally came into view. 

Trees seemed to flourish few and far between up here, leaving plenty of room to gaze down at the sprawling forest and up at the scraping mountains. The winding path of Poliwrath River could be seen slicing through it all as Vallion stopped for but a moment to regain use of his legs. Looking down, the horizontal sunlight behind him painted a stretched shadow of his hunched and quivering figure on the grass. An unbearable churning in his insides allowed him a single gasp before his stomach turned inside out and forced out his mouth water and acid and nothing more. He fell to his arms, which screamed in exhaustion at the weight they supported, and allowed everything in his throat that wished to be expelled passage. 

A shadow passed over him, drawing his half-conscious attention to the sky. Flying types circled above the hill about a hundred feet up and called noisily no words in particular. Oh. He looked towards the horizon and saw more approaching just above the trees. Much, much more. The rebel forces were approaching. Vallion rose to his feet, grunting from the sheer effort of the motion. This must have been the right place if there were nearly two hundred soldiers marching to storm it. Time was fading fast then, and Panne was somewhere around here. 

The still-rising sun was especially blinding up here as he diligently scanned for any kind of hole in the earth. There was far more to search behind than he had expected, this single hill having seemingly far too many rocky outcrops and elevated bumps of dirt and stones. His body refused to run when he told it to, instead breaking out into a rather pitiful and uncoordinated jog that nearly tripped him every few seconds. It was a little bit funny in a cruel kind of way. Panne could have been literally around the corner, and he was still trying to sprint like she were a mile away. When that sprint was more a hastened stumbling fueled by kinetic freedom, it was in the slightest bit amusing. Or was that hysteria? 

Finally, a glimpse scarcely caught of an opening into darkness, hidden extremely well by a generous growth of ferns and ivy. The first sight from within as he pushed through was one that would have been quite startling if he had the will to be frightened to begin with. A handful of pokemon, obviously beaten and bruised by their earlier battle, sat along the rocky walls dimly lit by pinches of light from outside. Each had the same crimson circle on their fronts which universally blended in with blood and was partly obscured by grime. They looked up to his arrival for but a moment before returning their stare to the dust, seemingly uninterested in the Snivy which plowed into their secret cave. 

Farther back in the shadows were the familiar physiques of Alexander and Reinhardt. Their hushed tones carried urgency that bounced from the walls and implanted itself into his chest. Despite the gap between them and the obscuring dimness, Vallion could see quite well the grave condition of the Chesnaught. Their shelled plating scorched to very near the point of blackness, most of their fur was either singed away or ragged in patches and soaked with blood. Not even his or Alexander's wounds could amount to the beating that Reinhardt took during the fall of the northern front. It was astounding they had even crawled here to find shelter. 

Several questions came to his worn mind as Vallion made his way past the crestfallen pokemon. Was this all that was left of their forces? How many of Poliwrath's did you manage to incapacitate? How did the rebels know to retreat and group up with their northern counterpart? Were there psychic types among their ranks that sent the message? Curiosity and concern came second to the blaring directive that fought against his physical agony and spurred him onward to interrupt the desperate conversation they were having. "Where is she?" 

Reinhardt turned with an expression darkened twice fold from the ceiling and situation. "Your partner is farther in. The cell had been unlocked long ago, but she refuses to move until you arrive. I told her to escape this place before our last stand on the hill," he relinquished a tired chuckle that seemed to hurt more than anything. "And I thought the riot was full of stubborn bunches. Probably should have assumed my counterpart to be as pious as I." 

"It's too late to escape now," Alexander added. "You two need to sneak out once the fighting has begun. There's no question the structural integrity of this cave will be tested, staying down here might only spell the unnecessary demise for both of you. Slip away in the chaos before you are buried beneath a thousand pounds of rock and dirt." 

He only nodded to acknowledge them before flying past into the clutching darkness. The trepidation which clogged his throat on their behalf tried to make him choke, but he managed to swallow the urge to gag and descended farther into the cavern. Exhaustion and an exceedingly bothersome warmth didn't impede on his blind feeling for obstacles and walls in his path, though it did make his panting even more uncomfortable. It wasn't as if discomfort really had an effect on him at this point, and especially so when this close to his goal. A faint flickering light signaled a corner's presence as he delved further. The sharp walls scraped against his skin as he felt his way over to the torch, then came what looked to be the wooden bars to a cell, then... 

"Panne!" Vallion shouted with what little breath he did manage to recover. The sound reverberated off the corners of the chamber and bounced down the tunnel behind him. She laid curled up and low to the ground before, but her ears sprung up instantaneously to the familiar voice. The Fennekin twisted her head and stared in disbelief for a moment as if he were the ghost of a memory. He didn't wait for the fleeting moment to end, choosing instead to dash over and wrap her up in his arms. She made a cough or sob, but not of pain from how she reciprocated the gesture tightly and pressed into him. Tightly might have been an exaggeration, as both of them were incredibly weak and feeble in comparison to the emotions which flooded their senses. 

The first thing that came from her mouth in response was series of tearful whimpers. She pushed her forehead into his neck with shaking breaths and wheezed a cry of joy. Their embrace did eventually start to loosen, the ache across their bodies from even a light squeeze was mutually as agonizing as it was comforting. It took longer still for Panne to be able to form words after they had pulled just far enough away to gaze into one another with a certain bliss. Her mouth made a few attempts, but the desire to speak was ultimately ruined by her ravaged composure. With every breath she tried again until her tongue cooperated. "Val... I'm so glad you're back." 

It would have been sin any other day to break this kind of intimacy, but his broken bones yelled louder that his heart by such a margin that he could no longer continue to ignore them. He had only seen her just yesterday, but it felt like a month as he stared into those beautiful tear-filled eyes. His gaze did eventually break free and wander to the blood which caked her fur and the tanned bandages stained red. An unparalleled concern forced him to kneel down and inspect her injuries, and soon transitioned into a sudden flash of guilt. Were these wounds the aftermath of his escape? 

In places her coat was torn away entirely and in its stead were foul scabbing gashes that he felt in kind. He put his hand tenderly along such a wound, to which she cringed slightly but otherwise stayed put out of trust. There seemed to be some kind of translucent green ointment applied to them, it explained the lack of pus from such grievous slashes. Alexander must have did a terrible number on her in his absence. Some of these were so dangerous that they were forced to treat them just so that Panne wouldn't end up dying in captivity from infection and pestilence. Oh, what has he done? 

She gave him a warm smile as if to say 'I'll be okay'. It wasn't typically hers to be the resilient one of them, but even his scratches paled when juxtaposed to her lacerations. This was a change of pace he greatly wished to prevent. "I called the Society last night," he began softly. "They should be here soon, I called them decently early into the night. I told them to bring a lot of medical supplies, so don't give out until they arrive." 

"That's good..." she sounded miserable, both in an emotional sense and in the hoarseness that made up her sweet voice. He tried his best to give a smile back, just a tiny attempt to shake this bittersweet feeling from his throbbing chest. Panne must have picked up on how forced the grin was as she placed a paw to his face and wiped away some of the mud which no doubt covered him. The delicate gesture spoke leagues to his heart, nearly bringing up tears at the mere touch of her hand. They'll be home in no time. 

A commanding shout echoed from behind them, bouncing off the cave walls in such a way that it arrived already garbled and unintelligible. It must have been the voice of Alexander as he gave one last speech to his weary but loyal soldiers before the final confrontation with the Poliwrath. The battle to come was one so greatly skewed that even them and Reinhardt, some of the most skilled fighters Vallion has ever seen, wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance. There weren't enough Awakening emeras in this whole forest to withstand the coming massacre. Even if they weren't all bruised and broken to begin with, even if they were better equipped and had a vast arsenal to pull from, it was a matter of fourty to one. You didn't have to be involved to sense the aura of despair that so powerfully emanated from down the cave. 

"Hey." He turned to Panne attentively as the frailest of attempts to catch his attention overwhelmingly succeeded. "What's going to go on up there? Reinhardt told me to get out of here, but I wasn't listening to why." 

"Alexander and the Poliwrath are about to perform the final fight for this region. The collateral damage is going to be massive for this hill, so we're supposed to leave the cave before it collapses once the battle starts," he whispered back, concentrating for the moment on trying to translate what was being said further up. The eccentric acoustics ensured that everything was far too jumbled to be understood from all the way down here. Perhaps it was best he didn't know, it might have amplified his depression even further. 

Soon the talking stopped so abruptly that it nearly sent shivers down his spine from the following deafening emptiness. It was unclear whether or not they had silenced themselves in somber preparation or had already left the cave to meet the enemy. A prayer crossed his mind for the survival of Alexander and Reinhardt, however indecisive he may be about the two factions that clashed today. He turned to Panne with the intents of quelling this excruciating quiet for at least a little while. "Hopefully we can slip away in the midst of things before everything comes down on our heads. I want to go home already." 

Panne softly chuckled and hummed to express acknowledgement. "I know, haven't anything for over twenty four hours. Heh, that doesn't sound all that long when you say it out loud." A hollow lull had once again taken over the atmosphere as she finished. The two leaned against each other in the flickering light, waiting patiently for the world outside to erupt into violent tragedy. Despite this, the satisfaction that throbbed in his heart from being next to her again was unparalleled. Things were finally starting to return to normal, at least as normal as things could be while this bleak and dire. Tenacity in the face of hapless circumstance wasn't exactly a foreign concept for them to share under the light of a torch. So long as they were together, this hellish situation may as well have been home. 

Perhaps... this quiet chamber, would it be good enough to house the confession of his driving love? Just hearing her swaying breath parallel to his own was bringing about an intense euphoria and relief across his entire being. He tilted his head sideways into hers while the wait droned on, it would be an insignificant gesture compared to what he felt to be so close. She returned the motion in kind, but there was no telling what feelings were barred behind the slight twitch of muscle it took to lean in such a way. I love you. Mouthing the words was no problem, but could he possibly apply voice to such a sentiment? 

A sudden explosion of vibration engulfed the cave and filled it with the awful echoed roar of the earth's strain. The two met in a hasty embrace to steel themselves through the shockwave, suspicious creaks and falling pebbles warned of worse fates than just a moment of unpleasantness. This was no time to get emotional, the war for Poliwrath River was raging just above them and their shelter surely wouldn't last the fight. Neither he nor this dwelling had the sturdiness left to endure such an event. 

"Let's get moving," Vallion sternly put while rising from the dusty floor. He held a close proximity to Panne while she slowly got to feet, something it seemed like she hadn't done even once since she was put here. They had only managed to take a single step before she had cried out in pain and fell to a kneel once again. Without hesitation, he rushed to her side and tried to steady her from completely falling over. 

"I- Agh!" she shouted a second time after the next attempt to walk. "I think my leg got busted, it hurts too much to use." 

Vallion wasn't sure how it took her this long to discover a fracture in her leg, but there were so many injuries lining her whole body that it didn't sound impossible. "Here, I can balance you," he said while rotating over to her left side and attempting to position his own weight to make up for her broken back leg. Once he was there, though, it wasn't certain exactly how he would support a quadruped in such a way. They had to find harmony quickly, the distant sounds of the fight infiltrated through the cave entrance and ricochet all the way down here. 

Another shockwave shook their being to the core and toppled their efforts and legs. A tiny chunk of condensed earth fell on his head and was followed by a series of startling crackles. Through urgency and ingenuity, Vallion simply decided to lift her entire left side halfway into the air and set her over his back and shoulders. They managed to take an awkward step forward, but it was one more than none nevertheless. It would serve fine for getting her the hell out of here. Again they pushed a few more inches, Vallion having to use his hands both to crawl along the floor and as a balancing tool to keep her upright. Soon they began to finally achieve some semblance of motion as the chamber was abandoned behind them. 

With every drop of light provided by the torch abandoned and left behind, the jagged faces of rock were the only thing to guide them down the tunnel. The darkness was fine so long as they were linked together, it wasn't as if they were going to lose one another while hobbling on like this. He instead grew worrisome of her deathly condition that was impossible to ignore from this close. This contact and exertion were probably worsening her injuries to an extent he didn't want to think about. If they could just get out and away, it was only a matter of time before the Society brought the means to treat her trauma before anything permanent could fester, besides the inevitable scar tissue that will mark the history of these last two days into their flesh. 

A third shockwave loosened a flurry of soil and small rocks from above, some of which fell directly into his eyes. He grunted from the sting, though luckily he wasn't exactly using them at the moment. Probably shouldn't have kept them open while the ceiling was crumbling like this anyway. Another clumsy step in the darkness uninhibited by any obstacle was one closer to safety and normalcy, no heed paid to the tears which accumulated in his eyes and flowed down his face. He didn't have the available limbs to remove the debris anyway. 

Though blurry, a dull blue glow radiated from further ahead. They were going to make it if they kept this pace up. Actually getting down the hill was going to be a terrible challenge, but one he was more than willing to take on if it kept them safe. With each step he could feel the cool morning breeze seep through the ivy camouflage and grace his overheated skin. It really was like the breath of heaven the way it invigorated every subsequent step to be hastened. Panne seemed to feel that same motivation and obliged the increase of speed with fervour. Closer and closer, despite all the suffering and fatigue, they finally pushed through that wall of vegetation and took a full gulp of fresh air. 

Vallion momentarily relinquished the strange position they were in and wiped at his burning eyes before anything else. His hearing picked up the slack from his still impaired vision, and what it had detected from the world outside of the cave was quite disturbing. He heard almost nothing. The battle which had been waging was inexplicably silenced upon their arrival, or at least so he had thought until the tremendous roar of cheering erupted from somewhere nearby. All signs pointed to the inescapable outcome he had feared for still inside the hill, but it wasn't until his eyes were clear enough to glance up that such a fate was confirmed. The victor of Poliwrath River had been decided in his absence. 

Pressed into the dirt was the ruined serpentine body of Alexander, whose head served merely as a place of rest for a Poliwrath's foot. It was unclear where the other Poliwrath were, or if they had even made it in one piece from the last battles. The cheering flared up again as a kick landed squarely into the Serperior's neck. Reinhardt could be heard crying mercy near the edge of the noise for the partner he knew since childhood. The Chesnaught's post-mighty form was held easily to the ground by a surprising few pokemon, though they looked beaten to the point of general complacency anyway. Flying types circled in a hypnotizing flock above while screaming primal odes to victory. So, too, did the two Volcarona gaze upon the bruised forms of their enemies and scorched earth of their power with an air of pride that extended about the entire area. 

"The pretender is no more!" preached the Poliwrath as every gleaming soldier beneath his command shouted a triumphant chant until silenced. "This land is ours, none an arrogant and wordy liar can take that from us! Rejoice in your freedom, you've all earned it!" he decreed before delivering another kick to the back of Alexander's head. 

"Stop!" Vallion shouted at the top of his tired lungs, and the world paused in response. The Poliwrath did freeze as well, but to witness the new arrival rather than compliance to the pleading. They merely sneered contemptuously as their eyes finally found who had called out, and the rest of the resistance followed suit to jeer wildly in his direction. This did not deter him from pressing on. "The king has already been overthrown, can't you see? Leave him be already!" 

Poliwrath chuckled instead of obeying the doleful request straight away. "Vallion the coward, what are you doing up here? I had heard word of your swift retreat when the battle finally started and thought you to have fled from the forest entirely. It's unlike you to be giving me orders after such a poor display." 

"He is no coward!" Panne shouted back in a raspy voice, leaning non-threateningly against the environment from being limited to three legs. "He came here to save me, and that's not something you can do while dead! Your war nearly took both of our lives!" 

"You think it justified that he took our weapons we gifted him and ran off, even after he had pledged himself to our cause? Does the Society think honor is worthless these days?" Poliwrath shot back impatiently. She sucked in a breath to make a counterpoint, but nothing came from her throat that followed. There was too much of this she didn't know for her to make anything bearing the guise of an argument. Vallion personally couldn't find the room to care for his transgressions, seeing only the Serperior on the verge of death and hearing only the howl of panic in his ears. 

It was the least he could do. "Please, just let him be. Find enough mercy in your heart to spare him such a gruesome death," said Vallion as he crossed his chest with two worthless hands. His words were all he had. There was no use in fighting such an incredible force to save anyone, lest they wanted to be razed themselves. All that sat between the fragile final thread of Alexander's existence and two hundred instances of seething hatred was his mere prayer and beseechment. 

The entirety of the resistance bellowed against him, wanting so deeply for a fitting end to satiate this petty conflict once and for all. "SILENCE!" the Poliwrath made their authority absolute as their voice echoed from nearby foothills and into the distance. This decision was theirs to contemplate and reach consensus, nobody else would own this position but them. They turned to Vallion with a visage of apprehension still. "I thought members of the esteemed Exploration Society were meant to possess courage and gallantry, but you've only expressed the opposite in our midst. Why do you now stand with our enemy?" 

"In truth, I have made a complete fool of myself over the last twenty four hours," Vallion sighed. "Perhaps I am a wholefully pathetic coward. Perhaps the only action I might take that isn't another despicable retreat is to beg for your understanding. Despite how my partner and I were brutalized by the king and how they placed me under a great deal of duress, it's not in my interest to see their life be taken. The world would surely lose a great deal of potential elsewhere should they be killed today, and for something so short-lived no less. Please, if you can find the kindness in your heart to spare his life, do so. I care not if you forgive my own flawed choices, but let him crawl away far from your lands at the very least." 

The quiet which followed filled every fiber of his being such a gnawing anxiety that he was certain would rip him apart should it have continued. He pressed gently into Panne in the search for any comfort, but only found a wave of blame washing across him. They could have snuck away and been safe by now, but he chose to open his mouth and endanger her yet again. Was it possible for him to do anything at all without being a complete disgrace? It took far too long for the Poliwrath to answer that question, giving a solemn nod before pulling their leg from Alexander's neck and placing it firmly in the grass. Every bit of tension that accumulated in Vallion's veins was expelled all at once through a single scraping exhalation. Relief filled the emotional cavity like a flood. 

"I accept your pleas. This pretender shall limp away with an inch of his life remaining so that they might suffer injury and shame worse than a merciful death. So long as they are exiled entirely, he will retain his existence and carry the story of our strength and his defeat with him." Poliwrath turned to the shifting crowds above and behind them. "Additionally, some might still possess a loyalty most questionable towards me. The last thing we need is for this Serperior to die a martyr instead of living as a display of my generosity." 

"Thank you so much, oh thank you. I cannot express my gratitude any further than I am, there is simply far too much of it to comprehend," Vallion felt a hysteria rise in his throat as the scene disarmed itself. Maybe he really did end up making a positive difference in all of this. The alternative conclusions to this vile conflict could have been much worse than he wanted to imagine. 

The water type turned towards him again with a sternness about their posture, like they had all the power in the world. "You have failed in some respects, but the Society ultimately works for the benefit for everyone. You did manage to save the Larvesta and bring her safely back to her guardians, after all. This act of bravery did set in motion the events that would spell our victory over the pretender king. It was most unfortunate that this war was one you were forced to become involved in." With that, Poliwrath bent over and grabbed the golden chain around Alexander's neck. A mere tug was all it took for the clasp to break as they raised the necklace into the air. This was an act of dethroning, the loss of a crown. 

A mighty roar erupted once again from two hundred mouths of every shape. They were finally getting the closure they fought so aggressively for, but Vallion's trained eyes saw that not all was what it seemed. Emera dust freely fell from the golden brace as it was held in the wind like a trophy. Insignificantly small shards of crystal rained down on the Serperior's body, but only two of the slots were empty. They were still within the bounds of the mystery dungeon, so why had one emera shattered while the others were fine? Recounting in his head revealed that the only identity which had remained unknown until now was the dark blue gem. Circumstance matched up like symmetry as the revelation flew through his brain, Alexander's final defense against this twist of destiny was a Toughness emera. 

It only confirmed his suspicions as the Serperior, now left to their own devices because of his influence, writhed and twitched in pain with a single shred of consciousness remaining. The crowd reignited as they also began to notice the faint signs of life reemerging. Alexander lethargically lifted his head to the cruel gathering which cheered so vigorously for his failure. The struggle to remain coherent was plastered so clearly on their sharp grimace that Vallion could have sworn he heard the snapping together of teeth. 

"Look who finally decided to join us," the Poliwrath taunted and stepped away, smirking. "The Snivy from the Society just granted you your life. You may wish to grant them your thanks later, but for now it would be in your best interest to get the hell out of my forest." 

Alexander rose heedless of the explosion of noise from the resistance, quivering greatly in place from the effort. Drool carelessly fell from his maw as he sucked in air like it was a precious resource. Seeing such a robust and refined figure reduced to such a display brought forth a tide of sadness over Vallion's chest. A glint in the Serperior's eyes flashed as they glanced up at all of their enemies and somehow found reason to grin yet. "I should have you know... I've defeated snowflakes worse than you," Alexander rasped to everyone that could hear. "Please, those who... acknowledge my strength- Ngh! ...Get to cover." 

Reinhardt's expression sunk lower than the deepest ocean, his eyes wider still than a wildfire, and grim realization looked to rinse away his pain at the vague command. "Alex, no! It's not worth it, we can still leave!" the Chesnaught shouted desperately to his partner, who couldn't seem to hear a word he said over the crowd. 

Something was amiss, Vallion knew better than to believe the situation had been diffused if that reaction had anything to say about it. "Panne can't run! We can't move!" he tried to say, but was likewise drowned out by so many other excited voices. The tactic which he believed Alexander threatened to use was one somewhat familiar, something he's done in the past to overcome the tightest of pinches. This only made him dread the widespread damage they were capable of in such a situation. Nobody but he and Reinhardt knew the danger they were all in. 

"Oh, still think you got some fight in you?" Poliwrath mocked Alexander over the eruption of noise. "I'd hate to break the promise I just made. Heartfelt confessions at the face of an army aren't exactly common occurrences, you know. But, if you truly do have that much of a death wish, I assure you that I won't hold back if you try anything. Would you really throw away this last chance at survival just to spite me?" 

The Serperior just raised his head higher to keep conscious and made some sort of grunting laugh. Vines crept from his shoulders and shook unsteadily as they snaked through the air, one of which bent abruptly near the end and fell limp after. "A brighter future, a- Aah!... better world. None of you could see, you're all too blind and lost... You'll never take our dreams from us, you savages..." 

"Please stop, Alex!" Reinhardt cried out onto deaf ears, the panic in his pitch wasted on the arrogance of a Serperior and lost in a sea of voices. "We can move on! We can go back! You don't have to take this risk, we have a home we can go back to!" 

It was too late for negotiation. Alexander glared with contempt at the crowd as he shoved his two vines straight into the earth, somehow piercing the hardened soil with one being useless and broken. His feeble breathing almost instantly grew quicker, stronger, and steadier than before. A spasm in his muscles caused him to twist uncontrollably to the side, but he raised his whole higher than ever when turning back. The previously near worthless vines began to pulsate sickeningly while pressing deeper into the dirt. His wounds didn't close, instead widening from the convulsions that shook his entire body. What unraveled before them was the final drive of a grass type in their death throes, Alexander had summoned the desperate power of Overgrow. 

Vallion knew to fear for the worst as soon as he witnessed the Serperior's confidence. He pulled the burlap bag which had forgotten even existed to his side and rummaged frantically through the contents. As his hands founds what they needed, he didn't hesitate to pop the reviver seed into his cheek and step forward. "Val!" Panne called out as he stepped directly between her and the rapidly disintegrating situation. There wouldn't be enough time to get away, so that left the next most obvious answer. Nothing short of complete impalement was going to get through him and hurt her. He's messed up so many things in the past few days, this was NOT going to be one of them. 

The Poliwrath took a step back and spent several seconds winding up a massive punch. Through the air it flew, striking Alexander right on the jaw and sending their upper half reeling backward to the ground. Everyone in the resistance could no longer contain themselves as the Serperior simply raised themselves upright again and spit blood into the grass. The earth began to rumble in response, cracks formed just beneath the Serperior and spread threateningly outward. Vines crept up from these fractures and churned the very ground they stood on; not his own, but darker colored and in great numbers. This is the true reason why they were meant to flee from the cave as soon as possible. 

Dirt launched into the sky as Reinhardt gave one last mournful yell before Frenzy Plant took hold and released. An explosion of displaced rock and soil shot into the wind and obstructed view of the scene, but the tsunami of thorned vines which spilled forth told a slew of terrible fates. Vallion held his arms out and pressed back into Panne's form with the few seconds they had left before the impact, holding steady even as the hill quaked with power. He rolled the reviver seed from his cheek and clamped down just hard enough to keep it in place for just the right moment. Nothing shall touch her. 

"No!" her body twisted out from behind him. He barely had time to register this as Panne somehow found the speed to swerve in front of him and jump up. A split second held but a sliver of incomprehensible despair. 

A horrible crash. There was no room for thought in the pain that followed, not even his body could understand where it was in correlation to gravity or what so foul battered and sliced it. Air fled from his lungs in the form of a grotesque cough as if it were trying to flee the hurt. Every other insignificant segment of time had a disorienting blow that confused him or the feeling of skin being torn asunder. His injury was the only thing certain in this spiraling abyss that hated his existence. 

Just as soon as the impact came, it was over. Had everything finally come to a halt? Was he dead? Though his essence knew only agony and dizziness, the uneven and pricking ground was most assuredly stilled beneath his back. He knew not a single breath had been taken since the world fell to disarray, his burning lungs told him so despite forgetting how to take in air themselves. It was very likely death wasn't as painful as this. Slowly it came to him that what he thought was grizzly damage that ruined his body was a play of mind, none of this particularly hurt much more than what he dealt with yesterday. Had he already reached a maximum of pain tolerance? Surely Frenzy Plant should have done worse to him than this -- this was downright tolerable! Disorienting, perhaps, but nothing out of the ordinary to endure. 

...Panne! His eyes shot open so quickly that the rest of him had to catch up. The clouds in the sky began to realign with themselves while Vallion struggled to push himself upright. A bed of stabbing vines held him down, though they had a bark not nearly as bad as their bite. They had thinned as the attack ceased and became weak enough to break at his continued attempts. He had opened just enough room for him to look to his right. Inches away was a ragged mound of yellow, or what was once yellow and now stained overwhelmingly red. 

It sank in. "Panne!" he shouted, pulling away the remaining vines which kept him down and started to rip at the ones that tried to strangle her. It wasn't the same as before, there was too much blood. All of it fresh and soaking her coat until it could hold no more. The rest dripped into the ground, where it sank between the vines and tipped a countless amount of thorns. Oh god, there was so much. Gently would he turn her over once freed of vegetation that impaled her skin or threatened her throat. "No, no no no." 

Her chest was the most mangled of it all, to the point where there was not a single patch of yellow left between the gushing wound. A dark panic beset him and found another reason to forgo breathing. Bandage, cloth, anything on the earth that could stop the bleeding. His attention turned to the woven sack given by the Poliwrath which used to hold his blast seeds. It was all torn up, and his ammunition had spilled all over the area, but it must do. He emptied the rest of the destroyed material with a virulent hollow spreading in his chest like poison, he pressed the burlap into Panne's torso. 

In an instant the cloth had been colored crimson and overflowed with blood. It had already failed. "No. God, no," he muttered breathlessly while tearing off the gauze around his own middle body in a violent display of fear. Once again, the material was hopeless to stem the tide even with the burlap acting as a second barrier. His lungs drew shallow gulps as he stared at the leaking wound which threatened everything he held dear. Terror was given room to cultivate as he cleared his mind to search for any possibility to save her. 

His mouth was empty. The reviver seed had fallen out from the collision! Vallion dove away and instantly began to dig into the layer of vines with his bloodied hands. There were too many blast seeds, again and again he had hastily examined their exteriors and tossed them away haphazardly. One more, yet another useless explosive impeded his progress to resuscitate Panne. He cared especially not for these tools of war that only brought happenstance together with misery. Ah, finally! A smaller and lighter seed sat among the rest and behind what originally was an aggressive amount of plant matter. His saliva still coated its rough surface, and its shell was cracked slightly from the pressure he applied. This was it! 

He crawled back over to the deathly Fennekin and ignored the cold that bubbled within his own veins. Her mouth was already slightly ajar, and as he opened it further he realized that there was no breathing at all. Not even the slightest gasp or faintest of wind came or went from her throat. Disbelief had already began to process into anguish as he set the seed into her molars and manually simulated chewing, a mixture of their blood smearing all over her face and mouth. Vallion started to shiver from the upsurge of emotion as the seed's shell cracked completely. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes regardless of his notice. 

The substance had been released, all that remained was the wait to see if it was enough to bring a spark of life back to her ruined system. He stared down at her wrecked form and felt the purest of wails rise from his insides and catch in his throat. The blood wouldn't stop coming. It just wouldn't stop. All of her life was pouring into the earth as her hourglass obeyed the gravity of mortality so, and there was not a single thing he could do to staunch either flow. A sob transitioned into a choke, the choke turned painful as he whispered her name between it, and finally the howl stored within him became relentless and exploded towards the sky. The volume rose in accordance to the unspeakable grief that stomped on his every inch. Panne, he shouted her name to the heavens and cursed everything that drew this fate to exist, especially himself. 

"V... aal..." The heavens answered back, as did the limp Fennekin which he had cried above. His eyes shot open and a gasp silenced his screaming cry, tears could barely fill his vision again as he looked down. Panne stared up at him with a glazed regard, but stared towards him nonetheless. Each tiny and fragile breath made her broken chest rise and fall ever so slightly. Vallion reached for the sides of her face, a gentle caress that meant more than a hundred thousand words in this fleeting moment. "Va- al..." she mouthed more than anything. 

"Panne, please. Stay with me," he begged while the tears streaking down his cheeks fell like rain. "I don't want to lose you again. Just stay awake, keep listening to my voice and stay awake. W- we're going to go home." 

She looked blankly past him still, hanging by a thread that was tearing more and more as each second passed. "I... love you," the words were forced into existence with all the strength she could muster in this teetering state. What could have been her final words. 

Something inside of Vallion came undone. The unraveling of his soul, the pounding of his heart, the misery in his gaze like he was watching a star go out in his favorite constellation. He shook his head. "No, no. You don't need to say that yet. We're going to go home and patch you up, you just need to wait a little while. Yo- you can say it then, when we're safe and warm. And... and I'll say it, too! I'll say it so much that you're probably going to get sick of hearing it! And we'll-" 

"I love you," she repeated over him, the murmur of a whisper that was her voice somehow coming across as absolute as a mountain. Vallion pressed the soaked cloth and bandages tighter on her chest again, defiant against the delicate nature of a life. She will survive, though his protection and love and life if that's what it took. Oh, how quickly he would have traded places with her and be the one bleeding out on the ground. A thousand times over he would have taken that opportunity without a millisecond of hesitation. 

"Ampharos is going to be here soon. Just stay awake, please just stay awake. I don't want to lose you again. You know I can't live without you, god dammit we've already been through this! You promised to never leave again, you promised!" The taste of salt filled his mouth. Each second fell away, yet it felt like every minute was an eternity. All he could do now was pray for a thousand more eternities to spend with her still breathing. "Pleeaase, don't- You're scaring me! Please!" 

I love you. Panne repeated that phrase over and over during his seemingly fruitless efforts to extend her life. It was already incredible that she managed to stay conscious to say such a thing, if you could call this dreaming state conscious. Every moment was a miracle with how much blood had already leaked through her chest and returned to the earth. Even in her own surreal world, Panne was absolutely certain of Vallion's presence and refused to say anything else. The message which she had tried to give her life to prove will be given by her cold lips until it was known absolutely. 

Eventually Vallion would submit to repeating the same expression back to her as he laid over the top of her body, trying to use his own figure as a third means of staunching her wound. Back and forth they would whisper the sentiment until it felt unnatural on his dry tongue. Even so, it was the most comfortable and righteous thing that had ever had its syllables dripped like the steadiness after spring showers. A truth that anchored itself into his very core, immune to things like entropy and transience. What had needed to be said for over a thousand years was said over her fading embers of existence. 

Soon, neither of them had left the energy to do even such a simple thing as that. Vallion had ran out of tears and placed his forehead against hers, waiting. He couldn't admit it to himself, but his being concentrated solely on the timer which ticked away. With every gentle breath she took in, there was only dread for the distance in between the next. There was no certainty whether or not she would draw another. The faintest of hopes drew power from how long she did cling to the mortal coil, yet it was always snuffed out by cruel inevitability. Such a tenuous creature had no chance to be long for this world. 

That wait was all-encompassing. They both just kept breathing in tandem as if the universe would freeze at any other pause. Sounds could always be heard in the distance, but none were as loud in his ears as the inhalation of Panne. Nothing on the planet or in the sky short of a meteor could break his indefatigable focus. It didn't matter what else happened after the Frenzy Plant, or who else was injured and dying on this destroyed hill. The fate of neither Alexander nor the Poliwrath came to mind so long as this Fennekin's exhausted little lungs kept inflating. 'Just keep breathing,' he would silently mouth for the both of them. Keep clinging to the company of one another and, above all else, just keep breathing. He was a dangerous entity, as he would give the world and the life of everything that had ever lived upon it just to listen forever more. 

Time seemed to pass, but Vallion didn't care much for it. Everything tends to blend together when you concentrate on one thing for so long. Or has it been long at all? There was no way of telling, he didn't dare look up at the position of the sun for fear of startling this lull. Another gentle breath, good. Hope can blossom freely if you believe in something hard enough. But did he truly believe that this condition wasn't a dishonest miracle which was just about ready to end? Another breath, perhaps not. It was debatable whether fate would play such a sadistic trick on him. 

"Vallion?" Jirachi called out over the distance. 

 

 

 


	6. Courage That Doesn't Matter Without Her

The emptiness of the building was especially conspicuous as he stepped into a hall overcome with silence. A pin could be heard if it were dropped across the entire compound onto a pillow, at least compared to the usual level of activity around here. It wasn't quite as lonely as any other quiet would be, though. This ambiance had a nice contrast from the typical chaotic routines. His feet suddenly fell out of sync and stumbled over themselves, a gasp was pulled down his throat as Vallion expended a great effort in making sure the bowl in his hands didn't slip. A firm stance had barely been achieved despite leaning far enough backward that he might fall over. Only a few drops had been spilled from the accident, which was amazing considering it was his tiny hands that had to do all the work. When his face began to be scalded by the steam rising up from the soup bowl, he was forced to continue his original awkward shamble. 

Soon the main chamber lied in wait to allow his insignificant footsteps much more room to echo from the walls. Even if the bowl was larger than most things he had to carry, and his hands lacked the dexterity and shape to properly do so, it wasn't an arduous task to bring the meal along. There were much worse burdens to bear in the world, as he had discovered not two days ago. Most acts of exertion and concentration didn't bring such a delicious smell wafting through the air as they were performed, so that was a plus as well. It wasn't even too far that he had to walk like an idiot, anyways. Just across the compound was all. 

Into the living quarters did the hush continue to strangle the air, the only exception being the distant yet omnipresent tapping of rain on glass and wood. It seems they finished the mission just in time to miss a seasonal flurry of autumn showers. This weather had been persisting all day, not even once had it found a moment to rest before another gust of wind splashed the fury of nature into a window. Thank god they didn't have to camp out in this mess, it'd be horribly nasty to have to deal with a storm with the injuries they've sustained. 

He could soon see the turn into their room through the constant eruption of steam that he leaned awkwardly to avoid. Though perhaps that was only because it was a turn well-rehearsed, he was squinting still to protect his eyes from the searing vapors. It was probable he could find his way to bed from the front door while blindfolded at this point. Vallion came to the entrance and twisted his body sideways to peer inside. The lighting around the Society suffered greatly from everyone's absence; even the room that currently housed two pokemon was lit only with a single candle on a corner table. He figured the dimness was more fitting for the current mood than harsh electric lights. That is to say, the mood was not a pleasant one. 

Panne sat along the far wall and stared longingly out the streaked glass, not yet noticing his arrival. It was obvious, even in this stillness, that her body was uncomfortably restrained by the copious amount of bandages and the cast which encased her upper torso. The splint along her back leg caused it to stick out strangely while in a sitting position, no doubt just that alone could have bugged her to an intense degree. Seeing her in such miserable traction caused the few layers of gauze on his own body to itch, at least he could move about the compound freely without resorting to a painful hobble. He should have tried harder to take the blow so that it was he who was crippled to the point of immobility. 

Eventually she did manage to catch Vallion's presence, turning away from the window and stowing the sadness in her stare. As she likely witnessed his arrival through the reflection in glass, he too managed to notice how sunken her face had been just prior as it bounced off of the night. It was like this every time he left the room, there had to be some way to ward off the all-consuming gloom that encircled her. Hopefully this soup was a vital first step in starting that process. 

"Hiya," he muttered, trying to hide the concern in his voice with a quiet softness. "I brought dinner. It's a little later than usual, but there's not enough people here to have the same feast that usually happens, so I couldn't just nab some things and bring them back." 

She sniffed at the air, picking up on the radiating scent and taking in first impressions. It must have been to her liking with how much her face lit up almost immediately. Food always did manage to pick her up in the worst of days. "Oooh, that smells amazing! I kind of figured Swirlix would make something that tastes gross to help move our healing along, but I guess I just underestimated her. What's even in it?" 

"It's a vegetable soup, actually. You're going to find more carrots than medicine in the broth, but there's some crushed energy seeds below the surface flavor I think," Vallion let his eyes dart around the room for a moment while he spoke. "And, uh, I mostly made it myself. Mostly." He wasn't going to indulge her on the finer details of the encounter, especially the unending enthusiasm Swirlix expressed that he and Panne were going to literally have a candlelit dinner, oblivious to the fact that they were both half-dead to begin with. He was still trying to forget the fantastical advice she tried to impart while forcing him to make the soup that he held now. It'd be a terrible idea to start blushing right in front of Panne. 

She pushed away from the wall to turn and face him, a twitch of her face just barely giving away the pain of the movement. "Well, what are you waiting for? I've got to judge your cooking ability before the soup gets cold! Nothing tastes quite as good as it does when still steaming!" 

"Panne, it's years from cooling. That heat isn't going anywhere fast," he sighed. The plan was to wait for the temperature to be a little less than scalding so that they could share the first taste, but he supposed a fire type wouldn't care much for that anyway. His hands were getting too hot anyway, the ceramic material allowed for the heat to easily seep through and start to burn them. Vallion rushed over to set the soup at her front before he had to treat even more injuries on his being. It settled on the ground with a clunk, a sigh escaped him as the cold air soothed away the uncomfortable warmth. 

Once presented the soup, Panne lowered her head to the bowl, seemingly oblivious to the steam and heat of the liquid. A taste turned into a gulp until finally becoming a breathy sigh of pleasant surprise. "Woah, I didn't know you were this good! Why haven't you ever made dinner before!?" she shouted before diving in once again for another mouthful. Relief and satisfaction spread through Vallions body at the sight but showed only as a grin. Finally, he must have done something right. Her ears haven't been that perky for days, food almost always ended up doing the trick when all else failed. He turned to the rain-embellished window and stared out into the same blackness she had just a short while ago. 

There was nothing to see but his reflection, she must have been dwelling on thoughts just as dark as the atmosphere on the outside. That had started to become a habit of hers as of recent, staring off into the void until someone noticed. Did it always have this negative of a connotation? Even before the mission it was a common occurrence, yet it never looked quite like she was down after having been caught. It seemed like the pattern was similar in nature yet much more grim than his own infatuation. The peace after Dark Matter brought strange processes to the foregrounds of everyone's minds, so there must be some other kind of storm brewing inside of her. 

As he turned back, Panne was still sticking her nose deeper in the bowl and out of sight. Vallion sucked in a breath and prepared to ask her to leave some for him, but relinquished the air immediately as he quickly noticed that she had already licked the bowl completely clean. That short span where he was left to thought was somehow enough for her to scarf down a meal for two by herself. "Oh," fell from his mouth as he recalled how little she's eaten in the past few days. Whoops, probably should have made more after all. 

"Hm?" She poked her head up and glanced back at him. "What's up?" 

"Ah, it's nothing," Vallion said and shrugged. "I was going to wait for it to cool so that we could both share the soup, but I guess I underestimated your stomach after all. I could always go and make some more if you're still hungry, you know." 

She looked down to the completely emptied bowl, her voice tinged with regret the next time she spoke up. "Oh. I didn't realize I was eating all of it..." she sighed. "I'm really sorry. I thought- well, I guess I wasn't really thinking at all. Sorry." 

Dammit, her mood was deteriorating already and it hadn't even been a minute. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything at all and just let her have the meal, pretend that he already ate while he was in the kitchen. "No, it's fine. Honest. I probably should have made more anyway, there was no way that bowl would have lasted for the both of us. It's not too late for me to go back and make some more, I'm sure I can distract Swirlix long enough." 

"That doesn't excuse how inconsiderate it was for me to go wild like that. When you only brought one bowl, I should have easily assumed..." 

"Hey. Stop sweating it, alright?" Vallion rose and started towards the exit before she could find more reasons to feel guilty. "I'm going to notch it up to a compliment that you were able to scarf down all that soup as quick as you did without even a second thought. Now, I'm going to head off real quick, and I'll be back as soon as possible with a more reasonable amount of food. Don't let yourself get twisted into a knot over it, okay? I promise it's not a big deal." 

He spun around the frame and past the corner until he was entirely out of sight before smacking himself on the head. What a stupid move, he knew all too well how much that Fennekin could eat just by herself, let alone on an empty stomach. At least convincing Swirlix to let a few more ingredients go shouldn't be too hard so long as he appeals to her cutesy romantic side. 'Panne ate all the soup before I could get at it, and she feels terrible for it! I need more to cheer her up, stat!' Yeah, something like that should work. Oh son of a- he forgot to bring the bowl with him. Vallion pivoted back towards their room and felt the urge to hit himself a second time as if his hand could actually do any meaningful damage. 

A noise just barely caught in the silence brought him to a screeching halt right before reaching the room. His thoughts were all dashed by that sound, it was both familiar to him and dreaded all the same. He awaited for any further confirmation of his fears just outside while foreboding stacked on his chest. Several seconds passed as the subtle noise occurred once more, the voice making it fracturing his heart. A gentle sob rang from around the corner, obviously muffled yet still extremely audible from this distance. Oh no. 

A methodical and quiet inhalation was all he had to prepare himself. The sobs persisted as he peered past the frame into the flickering light. Panne knelt low to the floor and shivered slightly with barely contained emotion, her head buried between her front legs. Her plush fur couldn't fully suppress the coughing cries that she made between shaking breaths. She had almost managed to flatten herself completely along the ground with how far back her ears were thrown. Vallion gazed on, an electric jolt hitting him every time she whimpered helplessly above the rain. What was he going to do? There was no leaving her like this, his concentration would be severed absolutely if he knew she were crying all alone elsewhere. 

"Panne?" he whispered to catch her attention, unable to idly view the scene any longer. The hole in his chest had already grown too large to bear, all that kept him from immediately rushing over was the fear of agitating her injuries. She still refused to look up from the floor and continued to cry regardless of his presence. 

"I'm so sorry, Val. I- I'm so selfish..." she managed through the sorrow that was caught in her throat before her whole body quivered to withstand the fringes of a grief-filled moan. 

Everything that was wound up inside of her poured out before his very eyes, all that reservedness and gloom spilled from her heart due to the most minor of mistakes already forgiven. How, how could he fix this? "Panne, please calm down. I would have given you the whole bowl anyway if I had known you were that hungry," Vallion pleaded as he rushed to her side. He motioned to embrace her, but the awkward nature of her injuries caused him to hesitate. Adding to her already chronic ache would be catastrophic. 

She looked up to him before he could figure out a comforting position that wasn't inhibited by the cast, the sight of her watering eyes dazing him even further. "I don't know how I got so selfish, Val. It hurts so much, but I just can't..." Panne shook her head. "I want to get better so bad, but I don't know how..." 

"You just have to calm down, it'll be alright," Vallion muttered as he threw caution to the wind and wrapped his arms around her neck and head, pulling her into his chest. It seemed like a painless enough way to comfort her, the last thing he needed was to cause her two different kinds of hurt at once. "You're not selfish at all. I'm not even burdened from having to make another meal, either, if that's part of what's bugging you. Everything's going to be fine." 

"It's not just the soup!" Panne snapped. Realizing she had just yelled right beside his head, she sunk to the floor again and redoubled into another bout of sobbing. The next time she spoke after the outburst would be in a soft and nearly unintelligible voice drenched in melancholy. "I've just... been having a lot of trouble with empathy lately. Or in general, but I've only really begun to notice it now. Not sharing the soup was just the latest in the constant inconsiderate mistakes I constantly make. I don't know when it started happening, o-or if I've always been like this, but..." she hushed for a moment to lean her whole being into him, as if she was unable or unwilling to bear her own weight any longer. "I haven't always been like this, have I?" 

The inevitable answer made him bite his tongue, his next words were surmount to the disarming of a bomb. In such a way, his will to soothe her emotional agony very nearly convinced him to be dishonest and comforting. Only nearly. "At times, you're a little reckless. You concentrate so intently on some specific aspects of a task that a few potentially harmful ones manage to slip by because of your determination. While it's a prominent flaw, I'd never call you anything even close to selfish. I know you, Panne. It's your highest intentions to make sure that everyone gets their fair share, even if sometimes details are lost and you fall behind a bit." 

Moments passed with their bodies intertwined. His words did nothing to staunch the flow of tears that wet the fine fur of her cheeks, something he both expected and dreaded. Panne sniveled loudly in an attempt to regain the ability to speak amidst her despair. "That's not true. It's not always like that, sometimes I know exactly what I'm doing when a choice comes. I just... can't find the reason to care about others at times. Whether I'm too angry, or too sad, I end up just not finding the will to care at all. That gets people hurt, and I know well that it does, but I've never been able to stop it from happening." 

Vallion shut his eyes to the rest of the room and focused in only on the Fennekin in his arms. The pounding rain was deafened by her silent bawls against his chest, the nagging ache in his torso from fractured bones paled in comparison to the significance of the weight pressing into it. "When have you been willfully inconsiderate, then?" 

"N-not even too long ago," she spoke into his him like a pillow. "It was with that Serperior on our last mission. All I did that whole night I was imprisoned was scream his head off, sa-saying things that I would never ever say to anyone. Just wave after wave of terrible things, and I didn't feel anything for shouting them at him. I was so lonely and scared then, and now..." her sentence was broken by an awful fit of coughing that rattled her whole body, obviously inciting immense pain from her core injury. Not even his tight, loving embrace could prevent enough of it so that she didn't cringe in place and moan in agony. Afterward, Panne continued on while gritting her teeth as if none of it happened. "Now, he and Reinhardt are gone. That Serperior might have made some bad choices, but he didn't deserve my contempt on top of what happened." 

"Dedenne and the others checked all over the hill for them once we got you stabilized. Reinhardt probably carried the both of them away from that place, I wouldn't be surprised if he had. They're still alive out there, Al- the Serperior is far more resilient than you give him credit for. Besides, he didn't take any of your lashings too personally. I got the chance to talk to him before everything unfolded. One day we'll very likely see those two again." Vallion said as he slowly and deliberately ran his hands through her fur. Perhaps it might help in comforting her? Just feeling the plushness of her brought him a sullen euphoria, so at the very least it assisted his own processes. 

She sniffled, at least seeming to have regained a little more of her composure than before. "That doesn't mean I'll regret it any less. And also, that was only a recent example of it. I've probably done worse to people in the past that I never even managed to notice at the time. You of all people should know how self-centered I am, considering you're subject to more of it than anyone else." 

The hardened points of her cast jabbed into him and encouraged the flaring of his fractures, but those minor irritations failed to deter him from tightening the hug. "What are you saying? If anything, you're almost biased towards me to the point of irrationality. How could you think that way when you've made so many sacrifices for me? You took a Frenzy Plant for me for crying out loud, how is protecting me within an inch of your life inconsiderate?" 

"It was completely inconsiderate!" Panne shouted, her voice cracking as a fresh wave of tears rose to the surface. "You had everything under control the whole time! I was in a worse condition, so you jumped in front of me with a reviver seed and got ready to take the hit. Everything would have fine if I had just stayed put, my job was literally as simple as standing still, but I- I..." she pressed her face deeper into his chest without warning and let loose a breathy wail. 

Vallion found his body suddenly yielding to her push and fell with his back to the floor. It was no voluntary motion, but she still more than willingly followed the collapse and laid along his body, completely uncaring in her sorrow of whatever position they ended up in. Whatever bundle of nerves this silly tangent was made of didn't matter, it obviously has been eating away at her for far too long to be written off. "Everything's okay. We're both safe, even after all the things that happened," he hushed her, yet it only seemed to strengthen her sobs. That wouldn't stop him from desperately trying, however disheartened he was getting. "Panne, it's alright now. We're both still here." 

"I almost died!" she shouted into him. "You had a plan, we were already in position, but I still couldn't help but interfere and mess everything up. I've always been this selfish! I just... can't bear to see you get hurt," a coughing whimper shook her entire form, yet failed to slow her spilling emotion. "It's always been like that, even in the stupidest of situations. I almost died a worthless death just because I couldn't deal with you having to get hurt for me. How is that not selfish?" 

He hushed her still and continued to scratch uselessly between her ears, mostly for lack of a better way to calm her. Only his heartbeat would truly tell how concerned and panicked he was. This wasn't something he knew how to fix, he wasn't even sure it was a hurt that could be mended at all. "Worthless?" he whispered candidly despite the invisible anxiety that clutched his insides and grew more potent by the second. "Last I checked, what you just described was the exact opposite of selfish. Would it really be worthless if you went out protecting me from harm?" 

Uneven breath graced the skin of his torso like a foreboding breeze. "I-it's not like that! I had no reason to risk my life, but I did so anyway out of greed to keep you safe." Another fit of tears cut through her words and dripped onto his chest. "You're avoiding the problem, Val. I was within an inch of leaving you alone again. After what you said the first time, how devastated you were the entire time I was gone, I should have... I almost... You can't bring me back from the dead." 

"Panne." He stopped ruffling through her fur, the same breath that caught in his throat threatened to choke him. That sickening feeling was roused again, the same one that festered like pestilence upon witnessing his love bleeding out on the ground. The only thing that kept him from breaking down was the fact that she was safe in his arms right now. Even still, her living presence couldn't ward away the vivid memories of that metaphorical cliff's edge, everything he lived for tottering out of control. If it weren't for that uncomfortable cast that stabbed into them both, this might have been a lonely tragedy. 

"Didn't you say that you couldn't live without me? Didn't we make a promise that night to never leave one another ever again?" The tears streaked down from his torso and fell to the floor similarly to the somber tapping of rain on nearby glass. "That wasn't even the first time I've done something so stupid! Remember in those water type dungeons, where you'd tell me to stay behind and let you take on any enemies? A-and then I'd just jump in the way anyway whenever you were in trouble, even if you would have been fine? You wouldn't even get mad that you had to treat my injuries and help me along. You would never get mad at me, but sometimes I wish you would've." 

Vallion tried hard to resist the water building up behind his eyelids. "Everything turned out fine, there's no need to worry so much over the past," he muttered, failing to disguise his breaking voice. The sour mood must have been far too contagious, he was inches away from breaking down and crying along with her. 

"But what if everything wasn't fine? What if I died on that hill two days ago? Would you still think it wasn't selfish that I took such an unnecessary risk just to keep you the slightest bit safer? I barely remember anything from the time I was dying, but I know at least that you were there and begging me not to go," she said as a hysterical chuckle transitioned into a mucus-filled gagging. It seemed she hardly even cared about how much pain or discomfort she was in anymore. "That's all I remember, actually. I couldn't even comprehend how badly I nearly betrayed you, it was such a sorry state. Why won't you get mad at me? I deserve it." 

"Panne, please stop." The icy feeling in his veins wouldn't go away, even with her warm body pressed so closely to his. For hours he sat on that hill days ago and listened gravely to her breathing, knowing that every second could have been her last. His body started to shiver uncontrollably as the growing hollow inside simulated what it felt like to lean over a mortally wounded lover. "You're safe now, don't be like this." She was indeed safe, but that wasn't even his own doing. He was failing to protect her emotionally after having already failed to take the simplest of sacrifices. 

There was no use in trying to break her out of this spell when it was his tears that hit the wooden floor. Panne's composure seemed to be improving as his was deteriorating still, if only to keep voicing the terrible stresses that tore into her when nobody was around. "I don't understand how you can go and never get mad at me when I can be this furious at myself. Nothing uncaring I've done to anyone else even compares to the things you've had to deal with because of me. It sometimes makes me wonder if everything would be better for you if I just... stopped caring enough. Enough that you would stop caring for me. If I stopped being your friend, you wouldn't get so hurt by me anymore and I would be punished for the injustices I let happen. Not like a sudden dying, but-" 

"Stop!" Vallion shouted over her. He could take no more, clutching to the broken Fennekin with all his might and finally relinquishing his waning control over the will to weep. What to say didn't come, nothing even teased the tip of his tongue that would remotely fix any of this. How could he let her feel like this at all? What had he done so wrong that she might think it necessary to break apart? His arms refused to cooperate any further, locking her in place against his chest like she might fade away if they didn't. "Please, stop. I don't know what to do, I..." 

She sucked in a breath and held it deep in her lungs for a moment, the sigh that seeped from her mouth was one of exasperation or disappointment. "I'm hurting you right now, aren't I? You know what, it was selfish to even vent to you about this stuff. Especially so when none of it even matters in the slightest. Now I've got you all sad and scared over some worthless passing thoughts that I would have written off anyway. This is all my fault." 

He would take no more. "I love you," he whispered into her ear, the only thing he could think of saying in response. "I need you and I love you. I don't care how close you came to dying if you're still right here with me. How could you have betrayed me if you willingly kept breathing? Y-you're not even selfish! So you care about me more than you care about yourself, so what? That's the way I feel, too! I'm happy as long as you're with me, that's all I ever needed." 

"I'm sorry for being such a burden, Val." Panne ran out of tears when it seemed he had only just begin to cry. "I try not to be, but it's so often that I do something stupid and end up ruining everything. It took a whole village to put up with me before, I have no idea how you do it." 

"I love you so much," Everything that welled up in his eyes spilled forth from his mouth. "I wish I knew how to make you feel better, but nothing I try ever seems to work for long. What am I supposed to do to get across that every second spent with you is perfect no matter what? You must at least know part of what that means if you kept breathing with me. I just... don't want you to feel like you're a burden to me when you're already my everything. Please, just forgive yourself for all of that stuff and just be you forever. Please." 

A tiny choke fell from her throat, but it wasn't followed by any kind of sobbing. She looked up from his chest with puffy eyes and an apprehensive gaze. It was his own tears that seemed to distract her from the tormenting thoughts that raged on in her mind, but there was no way he could keep it up while staring into the captivating warmth of those eyes. "Sorry, Val. I got a little carried away, didn't I? Maybe I had a little more bottled up than I first thought." Beneath his back stuck gingerly two paws, it must have been her turn to meet him in a comforting embrace. 

It was not entirely a spontaneous action for Vallion to retract a hand and gently caressing the side of her face, though it was one so brash that he couldn't foresee himself doing so until it was already done. The way she leaned into his touch sparked an immense wave of emotion that rinsed away most of the lingering negativity. Seeing her apologetically smiling somehow drained it from his system like a vacuum, it felt almost too easy how quickly his doldrums turned around. He really was that easily manipulated. The longer he held eye-contact, the less blurry his eyes became, the more it seemed like his muscles were yearning to complete some unknown motion. Such an affectionate longing was one he was already familiar with from the last time they were holding one another. 

"I'm going to make a re-promise," Panne murmured as she rested her chin just beneath his neck. "You know, since I messed up the first one and almost left you anyway. On top of that, I should probably promise to do less stupid things in the future, seeing as that's how most of my promises are broken in the first place. What do you think?" Her paws kneaded into his back ticklishly and caused him to squirm slightly in her grasp, garbling his response with a gasp of surprise. Her laughter proved the action to be intentional immediately. "I don't know how re-promises work if the other side didn't break their initial word." 

He had almost entire forgotten that the both of them were moderately to severely injured and should have been in chronic pain. The blissful warmth in his chest that manifested where broken bones should have been seemed too strong to be ignored. A few minor pangs still lingered, but Panne's affectionate presence overwrote that suffering almost entirely. There was much he would trade to be in this position any other day, with their skin already beginning to dry of tears and locked in a relief-filled hug. Discomfort in general was simply dulled like the lighting in comparison to the high feeling circulating in their blood from stresses shared. He didn't feel entirely joyous, but as long as she was okay, there was no better outcome. 

"Oh, you know what?" Panne spoke up in the pristine moment. "I think I've figured out why our promise was almost broken. Besides my dumb choice, of course." 

Vallion hummed inquisitively, in a trance yet keenly aware of her every presence. His iron clutch around her had weakened considerably as his grief had diffused silently into the atmosphere. Instead of fear, his heart fluttered from infatuation alone. He was uncertain how to feel about how violent the mood swing was that love provided, or how quickly spread. 

She readjusted her position on top of him to become more comfortable with that bulky cast, resultingly moving frighteningly close to his face and eliciting the catching of breath in his throat. "Our first promises were built while we wore those scarves, right? We probably made that same promise with both scarves a thousand years ago. They were ultimately meant to be our symbolic objects of friendship from the very beginning when we were destined to be reincarnated. Now that they're gone, do you think that pact was broken under our noses when I had to be brought back with them? 

It was a difficult task to pay attention when the distance between their faces was so small that their breaths began to intertwine. "I dunno, maybe. That's a promise I'd personally keep regardless of whether or not we still had them. You matter a lot more to me than even a half-indestructible piece of the Tree of Life, that should be pretty apparent by now," his voice was still a little hoarse despite having shifted away from sadness. 

"I get that, but what if there was some fundamental and universal thing that was broken because the scarves were used up?" she said, glancing toward the window with curious eyes. "Maybe we have to make a new seal so that our re-promise is sincere? Something we can't inexplicable end up losing through bad luck, and something at least close to being as invincible as the the Tree of Life. Maybe we could use a gesture or something? That kind of thing seems to work well with symbolism." 

With such a close proximity to one another, Vallion was plagued almost instantly with the kind of thoughts he would have shunned just a few days prior. This sounded eerily like the start of a wayward fantasy come true, though that might just be his own imagination running wild after the internal storm had passed. "Well, what do you have in mind?" he said quietly, attempting to mask the romantically grandiose ideas that lurked in his own. His face had already begun to turn a hot and rosy tint and there was little he could do about it. The only hope he had was that the candlelight was still too dim for her to notice the blush. 

"Hm." Panne shifted a little, rousing a jab of pain in his ribs that was hardly acknowledged. "Yeah, I think a gesture would be a good thing to cement a promise in, but there are so many kinds that it's hard to settle on one that matters. It's not like we can make a pinky promise considering neither of us really have fingers, but that doesn't narrow it down at all." She turned her gaze back to being dangerously close to his face and gave a tiny, knowing grin. "What kind of thing do you think we could do to solidify a promise? Any particular gestures seem right to you? 

Her teasing was as blatant as the sunrise, and he still allowed himself to fall victim so pitifully to her wiles. That playful little smirk was one he could neither resist nor turn away from. If she didn't manage to see his crimson face before, she most certainly did now as she leaned forward to gauge his reaction. Was this her attempt at cheering him up? Part of him wanted to squirm away and hide, but the rest relished in this kind of scrutiny and intensely desired for more. It seemed the anxiousness swirling in his insides had an addictive quality. In an undeniable sort of way, he desperately wanted her to see his embarrassment and poke fun at him for it. 

"I- I don't know..." Vallion managed to stammer, to which she gave a light chuckle that he could feel physically shake her belly. It was unbearable in the most wonderful of senses. 

"Really? You don't know?" her voice seemed to smile just as much as she did. How could she have turned this around so quickly? "You've just confessed your love to me, and there's not a single meaningful gesture you could think of that we could do to mark a promise? Not even when my face is this close to yours can you come up with anything at all?" Oh, dammit! She didn't remember the hill at all! 

"You're making this so hard!" he groaned and threw his head back to the floor. The giggling which followed from atop his chest mirrored the bubbly fright that flitted in his veins. This was the moment that had haunted him for as long as he knew this love existed, and yet, he couldn't even muster the courage to take advantage of it despite the beckoning of reality. It's that same precautionary and irrational fear that kept him from sweeping Panne into his arms and physically confessing everything that ruined his concentration all this time. His neck craned to keep staring at the wall, the only safety he could find as every other manner of perception honed in on the Fennekin that laid so intimately close that nearly all parts of their body touched. 

But the fire that raged on seemed more akin to the flickering candle in the corner with how they settled silently into the lull. Fantasy and contemplative thought could bloom especially as the two stilled and concentrated on the other's steady breathing. Panne's infiltrative nose stuck beneath his chin and blew warm and taunting wind into his sensitive skin. An artillery barrage of rain against the window drew Vallion's attention for but a second. The wind was getting particularly furious tonight. Each second had a unique sound to it as every gust strengthened and faltered at random intervals. It seemed to be a particularly perfect night to confide in one another, nasty weather combined with a somber solitude and shadowy scenery. Admittedly the atmosphere would probably have been a pristine one no matter what with the direction this interaction was going. 

"I love you, too," Panne whispered into his neck. He felt the vibrations of her voice travel into him, but the impact of those words spread across his whole being like the ocean. Not a single part of him twitched, yet every nerve felt alive and electric. She continued the notion after a short while of silence. "I kind of figured you'd be able to guess that already, that night under the tree hadn't just been for your health. But, if we're still doing heartfelt confessions... then I love you. 

"I didn't know what it was at first, and I frankly didn't have much reason to pay attention to it. It took a while for me to really begin to notice it, as well. There's no telling how far back the feeling stems. We already spent almost all of our time together, so I didn't think it was anything immediately weird. Eventually I somehow started to enjoy our time more and more, and every beautiful thing we shared became amplified just by witnessing it with you. It took way too long for me to realize that I had a big crush stuck right in the middle of our friendship. I thought it was just because I liked you so much, which I suppose was literally the case. That night near Sunrise Pass, I just... couldn't hold it in anymore, I guess. You were having trouble sleeping, and I found an easy opportunity to do something selfish and make us both happy. Hm, you have no idea how difficult it was to contain myself when you actually pressed back into me. It was just so magical..." 

All of Vallion's muscles were poised like the feeling of having forgotten something on the tip of your tongue. Enacting the movements he truly wished to make was more difficult than running a marathon, but it was without a doubt this setting that it should happen. In a split second, it took the expenditure of all his bravery to just reach down and try to pull Panne forward so that they would be face-to-face. He gasped as she completed the action herself at the mere attempt, and suddenly they were gently touching noses at the very ends and staring into each other knowingly. His burning lungs were the only thing that reminded him to start breathing again after that. The hesitant climax was upon them and there was no way to be completely ready for it. Everything moved so fast that he feared to lose a single moment. 

Vallion decided to split the mist first with a nearly inaudible whisper, most likely from how unbearably enticing this position was. "I promise that we'll always be together, no matter what. It's going to take more than the laws of nature to keep me from you." 

"Hey, you took my line," she accused jokingly, the taste of her breath sending his stomach into nervous flips. "Fine. If we're going to get cheesy, then I promise to love you forever. Forget a thousand years, I'll follow you for a million and take on the worst villains that will ever happen just to keep you safe and happy. And I especially promise to never, ever let go. You're stuck with me for all time." A breathless second followed, the paralyzing tension of a first lover must have struck them both. Or perhaps it was the mutual gaze that stunned one another? Neither the falling rain nor their shaking breaths would hold the answer. 

Inches were closed along with eyes as the distance between their mouths shortened on a leap of faith. The bated breath ended from the startling sensation of lips upon lips, and very quickly a mile was taken from that inch. Necks were twisting in strange directions to find the correct fit for their foreign maws to come together and make dark places for their shy tongues to finally meet. The clashing of teeth expressed an inexperience between the both of them, their continued stumbling adventure to learn the intimate contours of one another. Mistakes were forgiven almost instantly without room for a single word, as the missteps only had to be buried beneath another second of sheer passion and curiosity to be forgotten. 

Every tiny noise of satisfaction and surprise she made sent a relentless shiver down his spine. He had only barely comprehended the immensity of this moment, lost in the surprisingly pleasant taste of her mouth. The communication of otherworldly love between them was simply too powerful for any word to describe even mentally, yet was as simple as a tender sleight made by the most insignificant of muscles for a fraction of any meaningful amount of time. They huffed through their noses just so that they might not have to part to continue breathing, elongating this immeasurable moment of revelation and bliss. 

All things still must come to an end, even under vows of forever. Their faces parted with two quivering sighs as they loomed in the moment and waited for the rush of passion to die down in their chests. Until then, very little heed had been paid to the mess of saliva that was made due to the incompatible shape of their mouths, but they had found the mental capacity now to even notice it. Eventually the will did come to wipe their lower faces and nestle into one another gingerly to soak in the experience they just committed to. Still no words were uttered, because what could they have possibly said that hadn't already been made apparent? 

Holding his lover closer, Vallion spaced out into the sound of the violent weather so far from touching them. A night this special is something that might only happen once in a lifetime. It was doubtful that the horrible thoughts as of late are going to persist as strongly after an encounter so moving. This love, it felt strong enough to last ten more lifetimes. Perhaps that might have ultimately been an exaggeration, but there was little else he could do to describe this pleasant burning that lingered in his blood and lips. He knew at least that every instant of this embrace should be cherished just the same as the Fennekin that clutched at him with a mutual zeal. The stabbing cast and his broken bones were practically negligible with how quickly his heart was beating. He wondered if she could feel that excitement, even through her cast and bandages. 

"Your stomach's growling," Panne whispered as she pressed her face into his cheek. 

"Huh?" was all he uttered until a tide of hunger hit him like a punch. A terrible roar came from his insides as the gnawing hollow felt like it was absorbing his stomach, distracting him from the tingling warmth that danced across his skin. "O-oh." 

She giggled into his ear, an angelic sound that did well to ward away his impending worldly needs. "I'm still sorry I ate all of your dinner before you could even eat a bite. We should go back to plan A and head over to the kitchen to make some more." 

"We?" Vallion nuzzled against her almost automatically. "You can barely stand without hobbling like a draft is going to knock you over. How do you expect to make it all the way across the compound like that? Besides, everyone's asleep now anyways. We'd just end up waking them up if we rustled around in the kitchen so late. They've gotten just about as much sleep as we have, and I personally don't want to deal with a furious Dedenne in that kind of state. I'm fine with the amount of injuries I have now, thank you." 

Panne scoffed and raised a paw to bop him on the nose. "Either you help me get to the kitchen so that we can quietly cook you a real dinner, or I'm going to crawl all the way over there myself and make a huge mess in the process. I'm not going to take any excuses or alternatives, those are your choices." 

"But, but I'd be fine with waiting until-" 

The paw covered his mouth next. "You know I'm not going to listen to no as an answer, right? It's my fault that you have to go hungry, so I'm going to be the one to fix it. There's nothing you can do to stop me. Think of it like repentance for all my egocentrism." Right on cue, she shifted suddenly from their relaxed position and started pushing herself to her feet. Already had her balance been thrown off before she could even take the first step. He rushed immediately to her side and managed to steady her before gravity had taken its full effect. 

"Hey! Don't take it so quickly, you doofus!" Vallion shouted while holding her weight lopsidedly into the air. It caught him by surprise as, without warning, she twisted around and gave him a lick on the mouth. He hadn't even realized what just happened before having to steady her balance once again, the awkward motion throwing them both off. 

"Looks like you get to be my fourth leg all the way there," Panne chimed with a sly grin. "Now let's get moving, it's already late enough as it is and I don't want to end up making breakfast instead." She looked forward again and motioned to take a step. 

Outwardly he gave an exasperated sigh, but his heart fluttered wonderfully as he worked into a better position for her to lean on. Apparently the night wasn't going to wind down just yet. It was kind of a shame, he was really looking forward to a bout of aggressive snuggling that wasn't held back by silent affections, but he also supposed every waking moment they spent together was a gift in of itself. The first few feet they traveled into the hall were as strange and wobbly as it was dark, their system for getting around hadn't really had the chance to be perfected quite yet. 

Even so, and despite her grunting in exertion and roused ache, Vallion looked up to the Fennekin and saw only a big grin in the dimness of the corridor. The strain of the march was countered by a slight spring she somehow managed to put into her step. Even when they had to stop in the middle of the floor to catch a breath, she looked up to him with a lively gleam in her eyes. He saw the most obvious signs of her joy as their wandering gazes met and magnetized together. Her ears perked up and twitched, the unmistakable indication that all was well. 

 

 

 

# FIN


End file.
